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.    HISTORY    . 


OF  THE 


Town  of  Manchester 


ESSEX  COUNTY,  MASSACHUSETTS 


1645=1895 


By  Rev.   D.   F.  LAMSON 


"  Historic  is  the  memorie  of  time,  the  life  of  the  dead,  and  the  happi- 
nesse  of  the  lyvinge."  — Captaine  John  Smith. 

"  A  people  which  takes  no  pride  in  the  achievements  of  remote  ancestors, 
will  never  achieve  anything  worthy  to  be  remembered  with  pride  by  remote 
descendants."  —  Macaulay. 


Published  by  the  Town 


"IIS 


HISTORICAL  STATEMENT. 


THE  interest  on  the  part  of  the  people  in  the  Two 
Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Anniversary  is  due  in  lai'ge 
measure  to  the  Historical  Society,  which  was  formed  in 
1886,  and  which  has  made  its  object  the  awakening  of 
interest  in  the  history  of  the  town,  and  the  collecting  of- 
materials  in  view  of  the  approaching  Quarter-Millennial. 
Regular  meetings  of  the  Society  have  been  held,  and  pa- 
pers read  by  the  members  on  various  matters  of  interest 
connected  Avith  the  town's  earlier  or  later  history.  These 
papers,  after  being  discussed,  have  in  some  instances 
been  deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  Society.  A  few 
donations  have  been  received  from  members  and  others 
of  old  books,  records,  manuscripts,  etc.,  as  the  nucleus 
of  a  Historical  Collection.  Above  all,  a  stimulus  has 
been  given  to  antiquarian  interest  and  historical  re- 
search, dusty  cobwebs  have  been  brushed  from  the 
walls  of  memory,  fading  recollections  and  dim  traditions 
have  received  new  freshness  and  life,  and  some  things 
of  value  to  the  historian  have  been  rescued  from  the 
oblivion  into  which  they  were  fast  passing. 

The  initiatory  steps  towards  a  celebration  of  the  Two 
Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Anniversary  and  the  preparation 
of  a  History  of  the  Town,  were  taken  by  the  Historical 
Society  in  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  bring  the 
matter  before  the  town  at  the  annual  meeting,  March 
20,    1894.     At   that    meeting   a   large    committee   was 


IV  HISTORICAL    STATEMENT. 

chosen  to  report  at  the  next  annual  meeting  a  plan  for 
the  suitable  celebration  of  the  event,  and  to  publish  in 
connection  with  it  a  History  of  the  Town.  A  Com- 
mittee on  Publication  was  subsequently  appointed  by 
the  General  Committee,  consisting  of  W.  H.  Tappan, 
K.  C.  Lincoln,  D.  F.  Lamson,  D.  L.  Bingham  and  A.  S. 
Jewett. 

The  work  of  preparing  the  History  was  placed  in  the 
hands  of  Rev.  D.  F.  Lamson,  and  commenced  in  July, 
1894. 

The  History  is  published  by  the  Town,  and  the  elec- 
trotype plates  are  in  the  possession  of  the  Town,  for  its 
subsequent  use. 

The  publication  of  the  History  has  been  delayed,  in 
order  to  include  a  record  of  the  celebration. 


PREFACE. 


IN  undertaking  this  work,  the  author  was  aware  that 
it  imposed  upon  him  a  difficult  and  responsible  task 
—  that  of  presenting  within  the  compass  of  a  moderate- 
sized  volume,  in  a  readable  manner  and  yet  with  scru- 
pulous regard  to  historical  accuracy,  the  life  of  this  an- 
cient town  through  a  quarter  of  a  millennium.  There 
was  needed  something  more  than  a  narration  of  events. 
Independent  or  slightly  related  and  widely  separated 
incidents  —  incidents  in  themselves  often  trivial  —  were 
to  be  brought  together  and  grouped  according  to  the 
laws  of  histoi'ical  jDerspective,  and  invested  with  living 
interest. 

Not  the  least  of  the  difficulties  met  with  has  been  to 
give  a  pro23ortionate  view  of  the  many  interests  and  in- 
dustries of  the  community  during  this  extended  period. 
The  author  cannot  hope  that  the  work  will  altogether 
escape  criticism  in  this  particular.  Men  will  estimate 
things  very  much  according  to  their  point  of  view,  and 
their  individual  training,  tastes  and  dispositions.  The 
claim  can  only  be  made  that  there  has  been  an  attempt 
to  hold  the  balance  in  a  judicial  and  even  hand.  For 
the  sake  of  presenting  a  consecutive  and  readable  nar- 
rative, much  valuable  matter  has  been  thrown  into  foot- 
notes, while  other  matter  finds  place    m    Appendixes. 

A  difficulty  has  been  found,  it  should  perhaps  be  said, 
in  the  scarcity  of  material  at  some  points  for  anything 


VI  PEEFACE. 

like  a  complete  narrative.  There  are  picturesque  inci- 
dents and  quaint  asides,  often,  where  there  is  little  from 
which  to  construct  a  reliable  and  consecutive  history. 

Contemporaneous  events  and  events  of  very  recent 
occurrence  have  been,  in  general,  very  lightly  touched 
upon,  or  omitted  altogether;  for  the  reason  that  it  is 
difficult  in  some  instances  to  treat  such  events  fairly,  and 
in  others  there  is  often  a  doubt  whether  they  will  attain 
the  dignity  of  history  or  are  simpl}'^  passing  shadows 
flitting  across  the  stage. ^ 

The  life  of  a  small  community  is  of  interest  especially 
as  it  is  seen  to  be  a  part  of  the  larger  life  of  the  times. 
The  author  has  accordingly  sought  to  connect  the  nar- 
rative with  what  was  taking  place  upon  a  wider  theatre. 
It  is  thought  that  the  picture  will  not  be  less  attractive 
because  of  its  framing  in  the  events  of  the  time. 

It  is  well  that  attention  should  be  called  to  the  fact 
that  there  was  no  standard  of  orthography  in  the  Eng- 
lish language  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  cen- 
turies. Special  confusion  exists  in  the  spelling  of 
proper  names,  the  use  of  abbreviations,  capitals  and 
marks  of  punctuation.  It  is  hardly  to  be  expected  that 
errors  have  been  wholly  avoided ;  but  it  is  hoped  that 
they  are  but  few,  and  that  they  do  not  impair  the  value 
of  the  work. 

Due  acknowledgment  has  been  made,  it  is  believed, 
of  all  sources  which  have  been  relied  upon  for  informa- 
tion. For  the  rest,  the  author  desires  once  for  all  to 
express  his  thanks  to  all  who  have  kindly  aided  him  by 
their  suggestions  and  reminiscences,  which  have  helped 
to  give  the  work  a  local  coloring  and  make  the  features 
of  actors  in  the  history  more  lifelike. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  book,  upon  which  much  labor  has 

1  other  omissions  may  be  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  the  work  is  a 
History,  and  not  a  Business  Directory  or  Advertising  Medium. 


PREFACE.  VJl 

been  expended  for  many  months,  will  prove  of  perma- 
nent value  as  a  contribution  to  the  literature  of  town 
history  in  Massachusetts.  The  author,  who  has  been 
for  some  years  a  resident  of  Manchester,  though  not 
"  to  the  manor  born,"  has  found  his  work  a  pleasant  an(^ 
congenial  one,  and  in  taking  leave  of  it  commends  it  to 
the  kind  regard  of  its  reader 


^  .ij,     cCi 


Manchester,  July  4,  1895. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PAGE. 

Historical,  Statement iii 

Preface         v 

Chapter  I.     Introductory 5 

Chapter  II.     Beginnings 15 

Chapter  III.     The   First   Comers:   Who   and  What 

were  They? 31 

Chapter  IV.     The  Early  Life  of  the  Town       .        .    45 
Chapter  V.     The  Revolutionary  Epoch      .        .        .69 

Chapter  VI.     The  Fisheries 99 

Chapter  VII.     The  War  of  1812 125 

Chapter  VIII.    The  Cabinet  Making    .        .        .        .143 
Chapter  IX.    Anti-Slavery  Days  .        .        .        .167 

Chapter  X.    The  War  for  the  Union  .        .        .  177 

Chapter  XI.    The  Summer  Resort         ....  191 

Chapter  XII.     The  Schools 205 

Chapter  XIII.     Churches  and  Church  Buildings     .  221 

APPENDIXES. 

A.  A  Sunday-  in  the  Olden  Time  ....  255 

B.  A  Typical  Old-time  Minister  ....  265 

C.  Cemeteries 271 

D.  Early'  Houses 281 

E.  The  Stores 285 

F.  The  Military-  Service 289 

G.  The  Post-Office  303 

H.  The  Fire  Department 309 

I.  Some  Old  Books  317 

J.  Police  Regulations     . 321 

K.  Some  Notabilities 323 

L.  Flotsam  and  Jetsam 343 

M.  The  Water  Works 363 

N.  Town  Officers,  etc 373 

SUPPLEMENT. 

The  Two  Hundred  and  Fiftieth  Anniversary-  .        .  383 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE. 

1.  Seal  of  the  Town ii 

Designed  by  W.  H.  Tappan. 

2.  Map  of  the  Town Next  back  cover 

Drawn  by  W.  H.  Tappan. 

3.  Plan  of  the  "  Four  Hundred  Acres  "     .        ,        ,21 

By  the  courtesy  of  W.  Orison  Underwood,  Esq. 

4.  Low  House  and  Abby  Baker  House  .        .        .49 

From  photographs  by  J.  R.  Cheever. 

5.  Murray  House;  third  tavern 66 

From  drawing  by  W.  H.  Tappan. 

6.  Forster's  Wharf,    with    "  Chebacco  boat,"    "Grand 

Banker"  and  "Jigger" 112 

From  water-color  by  W.  H.  Tappan. 

7.  Old  Town  House  and  Town  Hall      ....  196 

Old  Town  House  from  painting  by  W.  H.  Tappan  ;  Town  Hall 
from  photograph  by  J.  R.  Cheever. 

8.  Library  Building 197 

From  photograph  by  J.  R.  Cheever. 

9.  Story  High  School  and  G.  A.  Priest  School  .        .  213 

From  photographs  by  J.  R.  Cheever. 

10.  Third  Meeting-House  (1720-1S09)       .        .        .        .240 

From  sketch  by  W.  H.  Tappan. 

11.  Congregational  Church 242 

From  photograph  by  J.  R.  Cheever. 

12.  Fac-Simile  of  Letter  by  Kev.  Benjamin  Tappan  .  227 

From  the  original  document. 

13.  Baptist  Church 246 

From  photograph  by  J.  R.  Cheever. 

14.  Emanuel  Church  and  Catholic  Church  .        .        .  250 

From  photographs  by  J.  R.  Cheever. 


PORTRAITS.  XI 

PAGE. 

15.  "Old  Red  House" 244 

From  drawing  by  W.  H.  Tappan. 

16.  First  Post-Office 303 

From  water-color  by  W.  H.  Tappan. 

17.  Engine-House 309 

From  photograph  by  J.  R.  Cheever. 


PORTRAITS. 


PAGE. 

E.  Tappan,*  Asa  STor>Y,   M.  D.,-  Johx  Dodge/  D.    L. 
Bingham^ 331 

1  From  a  water-color.    ^  From  a  photograph. 
3  From  an  ambrotype.    *  From  a  silhouette. 

John  P.  Allen,  John  Price,  Richard  Trask,  Thomas 

Leach 333 

From  photographs. 


NOTES. 


ILLUSTKATIONS. 

The  illustrations  are  by  Kilburn  &  Cross,  Boston,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Map  of  the  Town,  which  was  lithographed 
by  A.  W.  Moore  &  Co.,  Boston. 

OLD   AND   NEW   STYLE. 

In  1751,  an  Act  of  Parliament  ordered  that  the  new  year  be- 
gin with  .Jan.  1,  1752.  Before  this,  the  year  had  commenced 
March  25.  It  was  also  ordered  that  eleven  days  be  dropped, 
Septembers  being  reckoned  September  14.  This  attempt  to 
rectify  the  calendar  must  be  borne  in  mind  in  connection  with 
dates  previous  to  March  25,  1752,  unless  it  is  stated  that  they 
are  given  in  New  Style. 

A   CORRECTION. 

In  a  quotation  on  page  87,  is  a  statement  which  should  be 
corrected.  The  exploit  of  Capt.  Pert,  which  belongs  to  the 
war  of  1812,  and  not  to  the  Revolution,  was  brought  to  a  suc- 
cessful termination  by  the  aid  of  Manchester  fishermen  with 
whom  he  managed  to  get  into  communication,  near  the  en- 
trance to  Gloucester  harbor,  and  not  "  under  the  guns  "  of  the 
forts  at  Boston.  Manchester  deserves  the  full  credit  of  this 
remarkable  feat  in  the  history  of  naval  tactics. 

GENEALOGIES. 

In  the  circular  issued  Dec.  20,  1894,  it  was  stated  that  gen- 
ealogies of  the  earlier  families  would  be  published,  so  far  as 
they  were  furnished  for  that  purpose,  and  as  there  should  be 
space  for  them.  To  the  disappointment  of  the  committee, 
there  have  been  but  nine  genealogies  sent  in,  in  time  for  pub- 
lication, and  of  these  five  were  more  or  less  defective,  one  be- 
ing a  mere  fragment.  The  other  four  have  already  appeared 
in  print.  In  these  circumstances,  the  committee  deemed  it 
advisable  to  omit  the  publication  of  genealogies  altogether. 
The  MSS.  have  been  deposited  in  the  archives  of  the  Histori- 
cal Society. 


HISTORY  OF  MANCHESTER. 


CHAPTER  I. 

INTRODUCTORY. 


"  Shooting  round  the  winding  shores 
Of  narrow  capes,  and  isles  which  lie 
Slumbering  to  ocean's  lullaby, — 
With  birchen  boat  and  glancing  oars, 
The  red  men  to  their  fishing  go." 

Ulilttler. 


CHAPTER  I. 

IXTRODUCTOKY. 

INDIAN      OCCUPANCY  -^  MASCONOMO  —  RELATIONS       BETWEEN 

WHITES    AND    INDIANS  —  GEOGKAPHY  —  CLIMATE  —  SOIL  — 

PRODUCTIONS — OLD   AND   NEW. 

THE  history  of  America  begins  with  the  advent 
of  Europeans  in  the  New  World.  The  Red 
Men  in  small  and  scattered  bands'  roamed 
the  stately  forests  and  interminable  prairies,  hunted 
the  bison  and  the  deer,  fished  the  lakes  and  streams, 
gathered  around  the  council-fire  and  danced  the 
war-dance;  but  they  planted  no  states,  founded  no 
cities,  established  no  manufactures,  engaged  in  no 
commerce,  cultivated  no  arts,  built  up  no  civiliza- 
tions. They  left  their  names  upon  mountains  and 
rivers  from  lordly  Agiochook  to  the  mighty  Mis- 
sissippi; but  they  made  no  other  impress  upon 
the  continent  which  from  time  immemorial  had 
been  their  dwelling-place.  The  record  of  their  past 
vanishes  like  one  of  their  own  forays  in  the  wilder- 
ness.    Their  shell-heaps"   and  their  graves  are  the 

1  Of  course,  all  estimates  of  the  numbers  of  the  Aborigines  are  conjec- 
tural; but  they  were  probably  fewer  than  is  popularly  supposed.  "The 
pre-Columbian  population  was  astonishingly  small  as  compared  with  the 
enormous  extent  of  territory."  The  United  States  of  America,  Prof.  N.  S. 
Shaler,  vol.  I,  p.  224. 

2  "On  the  shores  of  some  of  the  lagoons,  or  forming  small  conical 
islands  in  their  midst,  were  white  heaps  of  broken  clam-shells.  .  .  . 
When  these  shell  heaps  were  first  explored  they  contained  bones  of  many 
kinds  of  fish  and  birds,  including  fragments  of  that  extinct  bird,  the 
great  auk.  They  also  yielded  broken  pieces  of  roughly  ornamented  pot- 
tery, bits  of  copper,  and  stone  implements  of  the  Indians  who  had  made 
the  Ipswich  Ptiver  and  its  sand-hills  one  of  their  principal  camping- 
grounds."    Land  of  the  Lingering  Snoiv,  Frank  Bolles,  Boston,  18C3,  p.  64. 

5 


6  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

only  remains  that  are  left  to  show  that  they  once 
called  these  lands  their  own.'     They  made  no  history. 

The  country  was  practically  unoccupied,  when 
the  white  man  first  set  foot  upon  its  shores.  The 
vast  wilderness,  stretching  westward  for  league 
upon  league  toward  the  setting  sun,  and  teeming 
with  waste  fertility,  was  but  a  hunting-ground  and 
a  battle-field  to  a  few  fierce  hordes  of  savages.'"' 

Unless,  therefore,  the  imagination  be  drawn 
upon  for  facts,  the  Indian  Period,  except  so  far 
as  Europeans  became  actors  upon  the  stage,  presents 
almost  no  material  for  the  historian.  It  is  known 
that  the  whole  of  the  eastern  part  of  Massachusetts 
that  is  now  included  in  Essex  County  was  inhab- 
ited, on  the  arrival  of  the  first  colonists,  by  the 
Agawams,  a  tribe  of  the  Algonquins.  They  are 
described  by  Gosnold,  who  appears  to  have  touched 
at  Cape  Anne  in  1602,  as  "  a  people  tall  of  stature, 
broad  and  grym  visaged;  their  eye  browes  paynted 
white."  ^  There  is  evidence  that  the  Aborigines  of 
this  part  of  New  England  had  been  greatly  dimin- 
ished in  numbers,  not  long  before  the  arrival  of  the 
colonists.  Mention  is  made  of  "  a  three  yeeres 
Plague,  which  swept  away  most  of  the  inhabitants 

1  Indian  graves  have  been  discovered  in  several  places  in  town,  but 
reverently  filled  up  again  without  disturbing  the  skeleton  remains.  Mr. 
John  Lee  has  left  a  carefully  written  account  of  one  of  these  "  finds." 
Vide  p.  345. 

2"One  might  sometimes  journey  for  days  together  through  the  twi- 
light forest,  and  meet  no  human  form.  Broad  tracts  were  left  in  solitude. 
All  Kentucky  was  a  vacant  waste,  a  mere  skirmishing-ground  for  the  hos- 
tile war-parties  of  the  north  and  south.  A  great  part  of  Upper  Canada,  of 
Michigan  and  of  Illinois,  besides  other  portions  of  the  West,  were  tenanted 
by  wild  beasts  alone."    Parkman,  History  of  Pontiac,  148. 

s  Stracliey's  Historic  of  Travaile  into  Vircfinie. 


INTRODUCTORY.  7 

all  along  the  Sea  coast,  and  in  some  places  utterly- 
consumed  man,  woman  and  childe,  so  that  there  is 
no  person  left  to  lay  clame  to  the  soyle.  ...  In 
most  of  the  rest,  the  Contagion  hath  scarce  left 
alive  one  person  of  an  hundred." '  Hutchinson 
(I,  38  w.)  says  that  "  Some  tribes  were  in  a  manner 
extinct";  "the  Massachusetts  particularly  said  by 
some  to  have  been  reduced  from  30,000  to  300 
fighting  men."  Morton,  speaking  of  the  epidemic, 
says,  "  The  hand  of  God  fell  heavily  upon  them^ 
with  such  a  mortal  stroake,  that  they  died  on 
he  apes."  ^  No  doubt  the  spirit  as  well  as  the  power 
of  the  tribes  was  greatly  broken. 

The  chief,  or  Sagamore,  who  ruled  in  a  patriarchal 
sort  of  way  in  this  region,  was  named  Masconomo.^ 
His  chief  camping  place  seems  to  have  been  at  what 
is  now  Ipswich, — 

"large  limbed  Ipswich  brought  to  eye  'mongst  woods  and 
waters  cleer.""* 

He  seems  to  have  been  a  kindly  disposed  and 
peaceable  neighbor  to  the  whites,  rather  than  a  war- 
like foe.^  It  was  owing,  no  doubt,  largely  to  his 
friendly  disposition  that  no  bloody  conflicts  with 
the  original  possessors  of  the   soil  stain   the   early 

1  Planter's  Plea,  London,  1630.  =  New  English  Canaan,  ch.  iii. 

3  Hubbard,  130.  Hutchinson  calls  him  Masconomco  (I,  25,  ?i.).  In  the 
deed  given  by  his  grandsons  (1700),  he  is  called  Masconomo  and  Masque- 
nomenit.  He  received  the  name  from  the  settlers  of  Sagamore  John.  He 
died  in  1658. 

*  Good  Neivs  from  New  England,  1648. 

5  Maskonomett,  with  four  other  sachems,  signed  an  agreement,  Mar.  7, 
1644,  •"  to  bee  true  &  faithf  uU  to  the  government,  ayding  to  the  main- 
tenance thereof  ....  &  to  bee  willing  f  ro"  time  to  time  to  bee  instructed 
in  the  knowledge  and  worship  of  God."  Massachusetts  Colonial  Records, 
vol.  II,  p.  55. 


8  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER.. 

records.  No  colonists  were  waylaid  and  shot  in 
ambush;  no  glare  of  burning  dwellings,  no  savage 
war-whoop,  terrified  the  infant  settlement.  The  new 
comers  planted  and  builded,  went  to  church  and 
mill,  in  safety. 

Lands  were  gained  by  purchase,'  or  by  peaceful 
possession,  and  not  by  the  sword.  More  honor  is 
due  to  the  first  settlers  of  Cape  Anne  in  this  re- 
spect, from  the  fact  that  this  principle  was  not 
held  to  by  the  colonists  generally.  One  thing  that 
made  Roger  Williams  unpopular  at  Salem,  and  that 
led  to  his  banishment,  in  addition  to  his  claim  that 
magistrates  had  no  authority  in  matters  of  con- 
science, was  his  position  that  "  the  land  belonged  to 
the  Indians,  and  title  thereto  could  be  acquired  only 
from  them,  and  not  by  virtue  of  the  king's  grant." 
The  final  payment  for  the  land,  however,  was  not 
made  until  1700,  when  the  town  paid  the  grandsons 
of  Masconomo,  £3,  19s.,  for  relinquishing  all  right, 
title  and  interest  in  the  land  then  comprising  the 
township.^ 

1  This  indeed  was  but  following;  the  instructions  given  to  Endicott : 
"  If  any  of  the  salvages  pretend  right  of  inheritance  to  all  or  any  part  of 
the  lands  granted  in  our  patent,  we  pray  you  endeavor  to  purchase  their 
tytle,  that  we  may  avoid  the  least  scruple  of  intrusion."  Hazard,  I,  263- 
On  the  other  hand,  Winthrop  had  written  before  he  left  England:  "That 
wh'h  lies  comon  &  hath  never  been  replenished  or  subdued,  is  free  to  any 
that  will  possesse  and  improve  it  .  .  .  And  for  the  Natives  in  New 
England  they  inclose  noe  land  neither  have  any  settled  habitation  nor  any 
tame  cattle  to  improve  the  land  by,  &  soe  have  noe  other  but  a  natural! 
right  to  those  countries  Soe  as  if  wee  leave  them  sufficient  for  their  use 
wee  may  lawfully  take  the  rest,  there  being  more  then  enough  for  them  & 
us."     Conclusions,  etc. 

2  For  a  copy  of  the  Deed,  see  p. 345.  It  was  not  imtil  half  a  century 
after  the  occupation  of  Boston  peninsula,  that  tlie  citizens  troubled  tliem- 
selves  to  obtain  a  deed  of  the  land  from  the  grandson  of  Chickataubut. 
This  was  in  1708.    Memorial  History  of  Boston,  vol.  I,  p.  249. 


INTRODUCTORY.  9 

An  ancient  record  is  not  without  a  touch  of 
pathos,  as  showing  how  early  this  once  independent 
chief  lost  every  vestige  of  his  power ;  the  date  is 
Oct.  7,  1646.  "  Upon  y''  petition  of  y*^  sagam""  of 
Aagawain,  for  lib'^ty  for  one  of  o''  smiths  to  amend 
his  gun,  it  is  ord'ed  y'  warrant  shalbe  granted." ' 
The  Indians  in  this  vicinity,  it  would  seem, 
were  soon  reduced  to  a  condition  of  weakness  and 
vassalage,  similar  to  that  of  the  Israelites  in  the 
time  of  Saul." 

The  suggestion  has  been  made,  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  it  may  sometime  be  acted  upon,  that 
a  native  boulder  marked  with  the  simple  inscription 

MASCONOMO, 

be  placed  in  some  suitable  spot,  as  a  memento  of  the 
chief  who  fii-st  welcomed  the  white  man  to  these 
shores,  and  of  a  once  numerous  but  now  vanishing 
race.^ 

One  other  influence,  besides  the  plague  already 
mentioned,  no  doubt  had  an  effect  in  cowing  the 
spirit  of  the  Indians,  and  rendering  the  work  of 
settlement  an  easier  and  less  hazardous  one. 
Humphry  Woodberye,  of  Beverly,  aged  about  72 
years,  testified  upon  oath,  16  February,  1680, 
"  When  wee  setled  the  Indians  neuer  then  molested 
vs  in  our  improvement"  or  sitting  downe,  either  on 
Salem  or  Beuerly  sides  of  the  ferry,  but  shewed 
themselues    very  glad   of    our  company,  &■  came  & 

1  3Iassachitsetts  Colonial  Records,  Vol.  II,  p.  1U3. 

2  I  Sam.  xiii,  19,  20. 

s  Schoolcraft  estimates  their  number  at  the  beginning  of  the  settle- 
ment of  the  countrj-  by  Europeans  as  1,000,000.  It  is  supposed  there  are 
now  in  the  T'nited  States,  including  Alaska,  about  280,000. 


10  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

planted  by  vs,  &  oftentimes  came  to  vs  for  shelter^ 
saying  they  were  afraid  of  their  enemy  Indians  vp 
in  the  contry,  &c.,"  i.  e.,  the  Tarratines,'  who  had 
terrorized  eastern  Massachusetts  before  the  arrival 
of  the  English.  In  this  our  devout  forefathers 
saw  a  fulfilment  of  the  ancient  scripture,  "  He  cast 
out  the  heathen  before  them,  and  divided  them  an 
inheritance  by  line,  and  made  the  tribes  of  Israel  to 
dwell  in  their  tents."  ^ 


Manchester  is  one  of  the  smaller  Essex  County 
towns;  its  length  on  the  seacoast  being  about  four 
and  one-half  miles  and  its  breadth  about  two  and 
one-quarter  miles;  and  containing  something  over 
five  thousand  acres  of  land.  Its  soil  is  rocky  and 
its  surface  uneven,  especially  near  the  coast.  Some 
moderate  elevations  rise  in  the  north  and  west. 
Without  any  high  hills,  its  general  appearance  is 
picturesque,  much  of  it  being  well  wooded,  with 
fertile  fields  and  rich  meadows  intermingled  with 
precipitous  ledges  and  bold  escarpments.  A  strik- 
ing peculiarity  of  the  scenery  is  the  close  proximity 
of  verdant  foliage  and  grassy  slopes,  and  the  "stern 
and  rock-bound  coast."  In  many  places  the  green- 
est of  fields  and  woods  approach  almost  to  the  ocean 
itself.^     The  shore  is  composed  of  rugged  cliffs  and 

1  Johnson  speaks  of  this  tribe  as  "  a  barbarous  and  cruel!  people,"  and 
mentions  a  belief  that  they  were  cannibals.  Wonder-working  Providence, 
ch.  25.  Some  descendants  of  this  once  powerful  and  warlike  tribe  encamp 
every  summer  on  Ipswich  River,  and  gather  in  money  from  the  whites 
by  the  sale  of  baskets,  berries,  etc. 

2  Psalm  IXKviii,  55. 

3 "  It  sounds  like  a  paradox  to  state  that  you  may  look  out  from 
rugged  cliffs  over  a  summer  sea  and  inhale  its  salt  fragrance,  and  yet  by  a 
turn  of  your  heel  find  yourself  face  to  face  with  a  landscape  of  rustic 
meadows  and  stately  woods."  Scribner's  Magazine,  article,  The  North 
Shore,  July,  1894. 


INTKODUCTORY.  11 

boulders  of  sienite,  Eagle  Head  being  a  particularly 
noble  and  commanding  point,  and  of  deeply  in- 
dented coves  and  inlets;  several  small  islands,  Ket^ 
tie,  Crow,  Graves,  Great  and  Little  Ram,  and 
House,  lie  at  a  short  distance  from  the  shore : 

"  a  rude  and  broken  coast-line  .... 
Wood   and   rock   and   gleaming   sand-drift,   jagged   capes, 

with  bush  and  tree, 
Leaning  inland  from  the  smiting  of  the  wild  and  gusty  sea." 

"  Singing  Beach " '  is  widely  celebrated  as  a 
natural  curiosity,  as  is  "  Agassiz'  Rock "  ^  in  the 
depths  of  the  "  Essex  woods." 

The  climate  is  variable,  but  the  nearness  of  the 
ocean  tempers  both  summer's  heat  and  winter's  cold. 
The  prevailing  winds  in  the  warm  season,  being 
from  the  sea,  render  the  summer  and  autumn 
weather  often  delightful. 

The  soil  is  chiefly  diluvial,  and  in  some  places 
well  fitted  for  cultivation;  there  is  not,  however, 
very  much  farming  carried  on,  owing  in  part  to  the 
limited  areas  of  arable  land,  in  part  to  the  adoj)tion 
of  other  pursuits,  as  fishing,  seafaring  and  cabinet- 
making,  and  in  part,  latterly,  to  the  high  value 
which  land  has  acquired  in  many  localities  since  the 
incoming  of  the  summer  population. 

There  are   many   wild  flowers   and  ferns  in   the 

1  Hugh  Miller  describes  a  phenomenon  similar  to  the  "  Musical  sands  " 
of  Manchester  in  "  the  loose  Oolitic  sand  of  the  Bay  of  Laig  "  on  the  island 
of  Eigg,  Scotland.  Cruise  of  the  Betsey;  or  a  Summer  Ramble  am,ong  the 
Hebrides,  j).  75. 

2  A  boulder  on  the  east  side  of  the  Essex  road,  measuring  about  6,000 
square  feet.  From  its  top  quite  a  view  may  be  obtained.  There  is  a  very 
much  larger  boulder  in  the  valley  to  the  north.  "  It  has  the  body  of  an 
aged  and  much  twisted  birch  tree  embedded  in  a  cleft  on  its  side,  and  a 
fifty-year-old  cedar  tree  on  its  top."  W.  B.  in  Manchester  Cricket,  Sept.  1, 
1894. 


12  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

fields  and  woods,  and  near  the  Gloucester  line,  in  a 
swamp  not  far  from  tlie  road, 

"The  white   magnolia-blossoms  star   the   twilight   of   the 
pines."  1 

Some  small  manufactures  are  carried  on,  and  a 
few  of  the  inhabitants  subsist  by  fishing.  The  town 
has  of  late  years  become  a  noted  resort  of  summer 
visitors  and  residents,  and  has  lost  much  of  its  indi- 
viduality, greatly  to  the  regret  of  its  older  inhabitants 
who  remember  it  as  a  place  which  had  life  in  itself. 

"  The  old  order  changeth,  yielding  place  to  the  new," 
and  man's  wisdom  is  seen  in   adjusting  himself  as 
best  he  can  to  new  conditions  and  environments. 

The  town  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  healthy 
one,  and  there  is  no  reason  in  its  location  why  it 
should  not  stand  among  the  foremost  in  this  respect. 
In  former  years  there  have  been  a  large  number  of 
aged  persons;  there  are  living  at  present,  eighteen 
between  the  ages  of  eighty  and  ninety,  and  two  be- 
tween ninety  and  one  hundred.  If  the  present  gen- 
eration is  less  robust  than  former  ones,  the  explana- 
tion may  be  found  perhaps  in  the  hardships,  priva- 
tions and  excessive  labors  of  the  earlier  inhabitants 
being  transmitted  in  their  effects  to  descendants  to 
the  third  and  fourth  generation.  The  law  of 
heredity  is  an  inexorable  one.  If  nature  is  overbur- 
dened, or  strained  beyond  its  power  of  recuperation, 
the  result  is  sure  to  appear,  if  not  in  the  j)resent,  in 
some  future  age. 

1  "  Manchester  woods  are  celebrated  for  producing  the  magnolia ;  it  is  a 
low  tree,  with  deep  green  leaves,  and  is  rarely  found  at  any  other  place  in 
this  region ;  the  flowers  are  white,  and  possess  a  most  delicious  fragrance ; 
the  scent  is  so  powerful  that  a  small  grove  of  them  will  perfume  the  air 
for  miles."  ( ! )     Essex  Memorial,  Salem,  183C,  p.  162. 


CHAPTER  IL 

BEGINNINGS. 


"  Small  things  in  the  beginning  of  natural  or  political  bodies 
are  as  remarkable  as  greater  in  bodies  full  grown."  Governor 
Dudley's  Letter  to  the  Countess  of  Lincoln,  March  12,  1631. 


■  On  yonder  rocky  cape,  which  braves 
The  stormy  challenge  of  the  waves, 
Midst  tangled  vine  and  dwarfish  wood, 
The  hardy  Anglo-Saxon  stood." 

Whittier. 


CHAPTER   11. 

BEGINNINGS. 

CONANT'S    colony  —  MASSACHUSETTS    BAY   COMPANY  —  ARRI- 
VAL  OF   WINTHKOP — "  COMMON  lands" — JEFFREY'S 
CREEK  —  "  ERECTING     A     VILLIAGE  "  —  MAN- 
CHESTER —  TOWN     GOVERNMENT. 

WE  have  now  reached  tlie  period  where  the 
authentic  history  of  Manchester  begins, 
and  we  have  the  comparatively  clear  light 
of  contemporary  records  to  guide  us.  Conant's' 
colony  was  established  at  Cape  Anne  ^  in  1624,  but 
the  "  ill  carriage  "  of  some  of  the  first  settlers  led 
to  the  abandonment  of  the  colony  by  the  "  advent- 
urers," and  the  company  at  Cape  Anne  was  finally 
"  purged  of  all  but  a  brave  and  resolute  few."  Find- 
ing the  location  not  all  that  they  desired,  and  that 
the  fishing  "  sped  very  ill,"  ^  these  men  removed  to 
"  a  more  commodious  place  four  or  five  leagues  dis- 
tant to  the  south-west,  on  the  other  side  of  a  creek 
called  Nahum-keike,  or  Naumkeag,^  better  adapted 

1  Roger  Conant,  whom  White  styles  "  a  pious,  sober,  and  prudent  gen- 
tleman." 

-  This  is  the  spelling  in  all  the  older  documents  and  maps,  and  in  the 
Charter. 

3  Captain  John  Smith  attributes  the  failure  in  certain  fishing  voyages 
which  he  mentions  to  "  sending  opinionated,  unskilfull  men  that  had  not 
experienced  diligence  to  save  that  they  tooke  nor  take  that  there  was." 

<  Naumkeag  retained  its  Indian  name  until  about  July,  1629,  when  it 
was  called  Salem,  a  name  said  to  have  "  been  given  in  remembrance  of  a 
peace  settled  upon  conference  at  a  generall  meeting  betweene  [the  inhabi- 
tants] and  their  neighbours,  after  expectance  of  some  dangerous  jarre." 
Planter's  Plea,  London,  1G30. 

15 


16  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

to  the  purpose."  From  this  movement  resulted  the 
settlement  of  Manchester,  of  which  Hubbard  quaintly 
says,  "  A  door  was  opened  for  them  at  Cape  Anne,  a 
place  on  the  other  side  of  the  bay  more  convenient 
for  them  that  belong  to  the  tribe  of  Zebulon  than 
for  them  that  chose  to  dwell  in  the  tents  of  Is- 
sachar." 

In  March,  1629,  Charles  I,  "By  the  grace  of  God, 
Kinge  of  England,  Scotland,  Fraunce,  and  Ireland, 
Defendor  of  the  Fayth,  &c.,"  granted  the  Charter  of 
the  "  Governor  and  Company  of  the  Mattachusetts 
Bay  in  Newe-England."  This  Charter  granted  to  the 
"  Councell  established  at  Plymouth,  in  the  County 
of  Devon,  for  the  planting,  ruling,  ordering  and  gov- 
erning of  Newe  England  in  America,  and  to  their 
Successors  and  Assignes  forever,  all  that  Parte  of 
America,  lyeing  and  being  in  Bredth,  from  Forty 
Degrees  of  Northerly  Latitude  from  the  Equinoctiall 
Lyne,  to  forty  eight  Degrees  of  the  saide  Northerly 
Latitude  inclusively,  and  in  Length,  of  and  within 
all  the  Breadth  aforesaid,  throughout  the  Maine 
Landes  from  Sea  to  Sea,"  together  also  with  all  Firme 
Landes,  Soyles,  Groundes,  Havens,  Portes,  Rivers, 
Waters,  Fishing,  Mynes,  and  Myneralls,  as  well 
Royall  Mynes  of  Gould  and  Silver,  as  other  Mjmes 
and  Myneralls,  precioTis  Stones,  Quarries,  and  all 
and  singular  other  Comodities,  Jurisdiccons,  Royal- 
ties, Privileges,  Franchesies,  and  Prehemynences, 
both  within  the  said  Tract  of  Land  vpon  the  Mayne, 
and  also  within  the  Islandes  and  Seas  adioining." 

1  The  early  explorers  and  geographers  were  Ignorant  of  the  widening 
of  the  continent  north  of  Mexico;  they  supposed  the  South  [Pacific]  Sea 
to  be  only  a  few  hundred  miles  west  of  the  Atlantic  coast. 


BEGINNINGS.  17 

In  the  following  month  (April),  three  ships  sailed 
for  Massachusetts  Bay  with  supplies  and  a  number 
of  "planters."  One  of  these  ships,  the  "Talbot," 
was  probably  the  first  that  ever  entered  ]\Ianchester 
harbor,  dropping  anchor  here  June  27,  1629.  Rev. 
Francis  Higginson,  one  of  the  ministers  sent  out  by 
the  Company  to  superintend  the  spiritual  affairs  of 
the  settlement,  wrote  in  his  journal  : 

June  27,  1629.  —  Saturday  evening  we  had  a  westerly 
wind,  which  brought  us,  between  five  and  six  o'clock,  to  a 
f3nie  and  sweet  harbor,  seven  miles  from  the  head  of  Cape 
Ann  (in  this  harbor  twentie  ships  may  lie  and  easily  ride 
therein),  where  there  was  an  island  near,  Avither  4  of  our 
men  went  with  a  boat,  and  brought  back  ripe  strawberries, 
gooseberries,  and  sweet  single  roses.  Monday,  29th,  as  we 
passed  along  to  Naim  Keake,  it  was  wonderful  to  behold  so 
many  islands  replenished  with  thicke  wood  and  high  trees, 
and  many  fayere  green  pastures. 

The  government  by  agents  residing  in  England 
proving  unsatisfactory,  on  the  following  October,  the 
government  and  patent  were  transferred  to  New 
England,  and  John  Winthrop,  the  "  Founder  of 
Massachusetts,"  and  ancestor  of  a  distinguished 
family,  was  chosen  Governor.'  Winthrop  sailed  in 
the  "Arbella,"^  a  vessel  of  350  or  400  tons,  and 
six  other  ships,  with  three  hundred  settlers,  for 
Salem.  On  June  11,  1630,  the  "  Arbella  "  seems 
to    have    come    to    anchor   nearly  opposite  "  Gale's 

I  Winthrop  was  at  this  time  forty-one  years  of  age.  "  He  was  a  man  of 
remarkable  strength  and  beauty  of  character,  grave  and  modest,  intelligent 
and  scholarlike,  intensely  religious,  yet  liberal  withal  in  his  opinions  and 
charitable  in  disposition."  John  Fiske,  The  Beginniiujs  of  Aew  England, 
p.  102. 

=  Not  "Arabella,"  as  often  printed;  the  flag  ship,  or  "admiral,"  as 
Winthrop  calls  her.    She  was  named  for  Lady  Arbella  Johnson. 


18  HISTOEY   OF    MANCHESTEll. 

Point."      The    following    extract   from  Winthrop's 
Journal  gives  an  account  of  the  arrival  : 

Tuesday,  lO''^  June,  the  wind  continued  all  day  a  gale 
from  the  south,  and  yet  we  bore  all  sail  and  at  four  o'clock, 
p.  M.,  made  land,  called  "The  Three  Turks  Heads."  To- 
night we  could  see  the  trees  very  plainly,  and  had  a  fine 
fresh  smell  from  the  shore.  The  next  day  we  stood  too, 
and  as  the  wind  would  bear,  on  Saturday  we  stood  in 
towards  the  harbor,  and  by  the  aid  of  some  shallops  we 
passed  through  the  narrow  strait  between  Baker's  Island 
and  another  little  island, ^  and  came  to  anchor  within  the 
harbor.  Our  friends  came  down  from  Salem,  and  many  of 
our  Gentlemen  returned  with  them  at  night,  where  they 
supped  on  good  venison  and  beer;  but  most  of  them,  dis- 
liking their  lodgings,  returned  to  the  ship.  In  the  mean- 
time most  of  the  people  went  on  shore  on  the  other  side  of 
the  harbor,-  where  they  were  feasted  with  Strawberries, 
and  were  like  as  merry  as  the  Gentlefolks  at  their  venison 
and  beer.  Sunda}'  Masconomo,  the  sagamore  of  the  tribe, 
with  another  Indian,  came  on  board  and  bade  us  welcome, 
tarrying  with  us  all  day.  On  Monday,  the  wind  coming 
fair,  the  ships  proceeded  to  Salem,  where  the  planters 
landed.  Here  they  found  about  ten  houses  and  some 
indian  corn  planted,  which  was  good  and  well  liking. 

Capt.  John  Smith  had  previously  described  the 
natural  advantages  of  the  region.  He  speaks  of 
"  many  rivers  and  fresh  springs,  an  incredible  num- 
ber of  fisli,  fowle,  wilde  fruits,  and  good  timber, 
much  corne,  many  good  harbours,  a  temperate  aire."  ^ 
Governor  Dudley,  writing  about  a  year  later  than 
Winthrop,  thus  sums  up  the  resources  of  the  colo- 

1  House  Island  (?). 

- 1.  e.,  on  the  Manchester  side. 

3  New  England's  Trials  and  Present  State.  Captain  Smith,  as  "  Ad- 
miral of  New  England,"  made  a  careful  survey  of  the  coast  from  Penobscot 
to  Cape  Cod  in  the  summer  of  1614. 


BEGINNINGS.  19 

nists  :  "  Materials  to  build,  fewell  to  burn,  ground 
to  plant,  seas  and  rivers  to  ffish  in,  a  pure  ayer  to 
breathe  in,  good  water  to  drinke  till  wine  or  beare 
can  be  made,  which  together  with  the  cowes,  hoggs, 
and  goates  brought  hither  allready  may  suffice  for 
food,  for  as  for  foule  and  venison,  they  are  dainties 
here  as  well  as  in  England." 

Nearly  all  the  settlers  were  "  freemen," '  and  as 
such  had  a  right  in  the  "  common  lands."  They 
were  afterwards  known  as  "  Proprietors,"  and  the 
"■  common  lands  "  were  otherwise  known  as  "  the  400 
acres  grant,"  comprising  what  is  now  the  centre  of 
the  town.^  About  1692  an  Act  was  passed  for  the 
"Regulating  of  Townships,  Choice  of  Town  Officers, 
and  setting  forth  their  Power."  This  Act  was  vir- 
tually the  incorporation  of  the  "  Proprietors  "  as  a 
body  politic,  defining  their  duties  and  responsibili- 
ties. It  appears  that  the  Proprietors  of  Manchester 
did  not  organize  under  this  Act  until  Aug.  26, 1718. 
From  that  time  until  Feb.  28,  1769,  their  doings 
were  recorded  in  what  is  known  as  the  "  Commoners 

1  No  one  could  be  admitted  a  "  freeman  "  unless  he  was  a  member  of 
the  church.  Massachusetts  Colonial  Records,  vol.  I,  87.  Besides  the 
"freemen,"  were  "  residents,"  who  were  not  allowed,  or  had  declined,  the 
privilege  of  becoming  "freemen,"  who  were  required  to  take  the  oath  of 
fidelitj' when  they  had  attained  the  age  of  sixteen.  {Qu.  Were  these  the 
"  half -polls  "  mentioned  in  the  early  Assessors'  lists  ?)  Every  male,  whether 
freeman,  resident  or  inhabitant,  child,  servant  or  slave,  was  required  to 
pay  Is.  8d.  per  head  as  poll  tax,  and  Is.  for  every  20s.  in  value  of  real  or 
personal  estate. 

2 These  "  common  lands"  were  probably  held  by  intention  in  trust,  but 
in  many  instances,  as  Mr.  Harrison's  inquiries  into  the  history  of  public 
holdings  in  the  Commonwealth  show,  common  grounds  have  been  ab- 
sorbed, little  by  little,  by  private  ownership.  "  Land-hunger"  is  nothing 
new  under  the  sun.  The  early  land  grants  were  based  on  a  similar  prin- 
ciple in  New  England  townships  generally.  It  was  no  doubt  a  survival  of 
the  feudal  system.  See  Weeden,  Economic  awl  Social  History  of  Neiv 
England,  vol.  I,  ch.  3;  also  1  Johns  Hopkins  University  Studies,  ix.,  x. 


20  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

Records."  The  relation  of  these  "  Proprietors "  to 
the  town  has  been  a  matter  of  question.  Tliey  seem 
to  have  constituted  a  kind  of  "  landed  gentry,"  and 
virtually  controlled  town  affairs,  for  our  fathers  had 
little  idea  of  democracy,  pur  et  simple.  There  is  no 
evidence,  however,  that  they  abused  their  privileges, 
setting  themselves  up  as  feudatory  lords  and  treating 
the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  as  vassals,  but  rather  that 
they  used  their  power  in  a  wise  and  liberal  manner, 
coming  to  the  relief  of  the  town  from  time  to  time 
in  assisting  it  to  bear  the  burdens  of  taxation.'  The 
Salem  records  show  that  the  land  at  "  Jeffrey's 
Creek  "  '  was  ordered  to  be  divided,  February,  1636, 
as  follows  : 

Tho:  mores  widow  10  Acres  at  Jeffrys  creek 


Samuell  Archer 

60 

Srg'  Dixy  50 

W^^  Allen 

50 

Jo:  Sibley 

50 

Att  Jefferys  Creek 

Geo:  W"^s 

40 

Jo:  Moor 

40 

/ 

Jo:  Black 

30 

Sriit  Wolfe 

50 

Subsequent  grants  were  made  to  Jn°  Pikwod,  Jn° 
Gaily,    Jn"    Norman,    W^^    Benitt,    Robert    Allyn, 

1  See  Town  Records  of  Manchester ,  vol.  II,  iii-v;  to  the  editor,  Mr. 
A.  S.  Jewett,  credit  is  due  for  light  thrown  upon  this  obscure  subject  con- 
nected with  the  early  town  affairs. 

2  Almost  nothing  is  liuown  of  William  Jeffrey,  or  Jeffreys,  who  gave 
his  name  to  the  little  plantation.  He  seems  to  have  left  the  place  early, 
and  is  afterwards  heard  from  at  Ipswich  ;  but  his  later  history  seems  now 
beyond  recovery.  Hutchinson  gives  a  letter  (History  of  Massachusetts,  vol. 
I,  35,  n.)  written  from  England,  May  1, 1G34,  by  Thomas  Morton  to  "  one 
Jeffries  in  New  England."  Whether  this  is  our  William  Jeffreys,  we  have 
no  means  of  determining;  but  if  he  was  a  confederate  of  Morton's,  he  may 
have  been  a  similar  restless  spirit,  and  this  may  account  for  his  early  dis- 
appearance from  our  view. 


BEGINNINGS.  21 

James  Standish,  Beniamin  Parminster  and  Richard 
Gardner. 

At  a  general  towne  meeting  held  the  26'^^  day  of  the  8''' 
moneth  1646  [it  was]  Ordered  that  William  Woodburie  and 
Richard  Brackenburie  Ensigne  Dixy  Mr.  Conant  &  Lieu- 
tenut  Lothrop  &  Lawrence  Leech  shall  forthw'^  lay  out  a 
way  between  e  the  fferry  at  Salem  &  the  head  of  Jeff  ryes 
Creeke  &  that  it  be  such  a  way  as  men  may  travell  on  horse- 
back &  drive  cattle  &  if  such  a  way  may  not  be  found  then 
to  take  speedy  Course  to  sett  vp  a  footebridge  at  Mackrell 
Coue. 

The  last  division  of  "  the  400  acres  "  was  in  1711. 
In  this  year  the  Proprietors  made  a  final  settlement. 
"  In  bounding  the  land  to  each  Proprietor,  those 
who  had  their  divisions  by  the  beach  were  bounded 
by  the  bank;  while  at  Graves,  the  Proprietor  was 
limited  by  the  sea."  In  1704,  "the  Land  lying  to 
the  Eastward  of  Eagle  Head  was  bounded  by  the  sea 
to  the  Proprietors  " ;  '  the  plain  meaning  of  which 
would  seem  to  be,  that  west  of  Graves'  Beach  and 
Eagle  Head,  the  bank  was  recognized  as  the 
boundary.^ 

The  first  settlers  landed,  it  is  supposed,  at  Kettle 
Cove,'  in  1626  or  1627.'  These  were  of  Conant's 
company ;  the  later  emigi-ation  probably  chose  the 

1  Dr.  Leach's  MS.     Town  Records,  vol.  I,  pp.  121-128, 109-114. 

2  A  contest  dragging  its  slow  length  along  in  the  courts,  between  the 
town  and  some  owners  of  "  Shore  Acres,"  may  throw  new  light,  and  may 
not,  on  the  obscure  subject  of  "  Proprietors'  Rights."  The  distinction 
between  law  and  equity  may  also  receive  new  emphasis. 

3  Nameti  probably,  as  has  always  been  supposed,  from  John  Kettle. 
It  is  a  little  singular  that  weirs  are  called  "kettles"  in  Kent  and  Corn- 
wall, England;  "  Kydells"  in  Magna  Charta  (33). 

4  The  first  liouse  may  have  been  built  on  the  estate  of  T.  Jefferson 
Coolidge,  Esq.,  by  John  Kettle.  The  earliest  frame  house  was  no  doubt 
that  of  William  Allen. 


22  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

Town  Landing.'  Both  of  these  locations  presented 
the  promise  of  a  safe  harbor,  and  with  the  streams 
of  water,  the  sheltering  hills  and  the  abundant  op- 
portunity for  building  fish-weirs,  offered  an  almost 
ideal  spot  for  the  planting  of  a  new  settlement. 

The  little  hamlet,  clinging  to  the  shore,  grew 
slowly  and  by  cautious  advances  into  the  interior. 
The  country  even  a  few  miles  back  from  the  sea 
was  a  terra  incognita.,  covered  with  "  infinite  thick 
Woods,"  a  land  of  darkness  and  dread,  the  lurking- 
place  of  savage  beasts  and  of  still  more  savage  men. 
Gradually,  however,  the  land  was  taken  up,  divided 
into  farms,  the  bounds  of  which  were  carefully  re- 
corded,^ and  the  limits  of  the  settlement  pushed 
farther  and  farther  into  the  primeval  forest.  That 
no  successful  effort  was  made,  for  at  least  the  first 
decade,  to  "  boom  "  real  estate,  appears  from  a  record 
in  1651,  to  the  effect  that  "  Robert  Isabell  of  Man- 
chester, carpenter,  for  c£  15  sold  his  dwelling  house 
&  49  acres  of  land,  with  his  partition  of  meadow 
which  is  ^  acre  allotted  to  him  in  1638  by  Richard 
Norman."  As  early,  however,  as  1640,  when  there 
were  but  sixty-three  people  in  all  living  at  "  Jeffrys 
Creeke,"  we  find  these  sturdy  and  independent 
pioneers    "jointly  &  humbly  "   requesting  the   Hon- 

1  "  The  place  picked  out  by  this  people  to  settle  themselves  in,  was  in 
the  bosome  of  the  outstretched  arms  of  Cape  Anne."  Johnson,  Wonder- 
Working  Providence,  eh.  ix. 

2  The  simple  and  homely  ways  of  the  fathers  is  illustrated  by  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  bounds  of  the  lands  allotted  by  the  Proprietors  are  de- 
scribed in  the  early  records.  Some  of  these  are  "  a  black  burtch,  ]>ichpine, 
grate  hemlock,  white  oke,  Litel  black  oak  tree,  a  stump  of  fower  mapis, 
wortle  bush,  bunch  of  oalders,  a  white  pritty  bifrjj;  pine  tree,  and  standing 
upon  a  grate  high  Rock  which  is  Almost  to  the  Admiration  of  them  that 
dou  behold  it." 


BEGINNINGS.  23 

orable  Court  to  give  them  "power  to  erect  a  Vil- 
liage."  '  This  petition  Avas  granted.  In  1645,  the 
inhabitants  petitioned  for  a  change  of  name,  and  on 
June  18,  the  settlement  received  the  name  of  Man- 
chester. Although  the  name  of  Jeffrey  disappears 
from  this  time  as  the  name  of  the  little  settlement, 
it  lingers  still  in  the  neighborhood.  Stretching 
northeastward  from  Cape  Ann  is  a  bank  marked  as 
"  Jeffreys  "  on  the  charts,  and  which  is  named  in  a 
map  in  Blome's  Amerique^  1688,'  lefferey's  Lodg. 
One  of  the  oldest  inhabitants  says  that  he  used  to 
"  go  fishing  on  Jeffreys'."  Certain  names  often  live 
with  a  strange  persistency  when  those  more  worthy 
of  perpetuation  are  forgotten. 

There  seems  to  have  been  no  formal  Act  of  Incor- 
poration. This,  however,  was  something  not  pecu- 
liar to  the  history  of  Manchester.  Previous  to  1655, 
"the  Governor  and  Company  of  Massachusetts  Bay  " 
made  grants  of  land  to  companies  and  individuals 
for  towns  and  plantations,  usually  annexing  certain 
conditions  to  their  grants  ;  such  as  "  that  a  certain 
number  of  settlers  or  families  should  within  a  stated 
time  build  and  settle  upon  the  same;  or  that  the 
gospel  should  be  regularly  preached,  or  a  church 
gathered  upon  the  granted  premises."  ^ 

The  first  book  of  Town  Records,  from  1645  to 
1658,  is  lost ;  the  gap  cannot  now  be  supplied.  The 
first  town  meeting  of  which  a  record  is  extant  was 
held  Feb.  25,  1657  (O.  S.).  The  town  meeting  has 
often  been  considered  the  unit  of  a  democratic  form 

1  See  p.  26.  -  Reproduced  in  Cartier  to  Frontenac,  1894,  p.  346. 

3  History  of  Groton,  Mass.,  Caleb  Butler,  pp.  10,  11. 


24  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

of  government  —  "a  government  of  the  people,  for 
the  people,  by  the  people."  In  his  History  of  the 
English  People^  John  Richard  Green  has  traced  the 
origin  of  town-meeting  government  to  a  remote 
period  and  a  distant  region  —  to  the  fifth  century, 
and  to  the  little  district  of  Sleswick  in  the  heart  of 
the  peninsula  that  parts  the  Baltic  from  the  North- 
ern Sea.  It  is  in  the  village  "  moots  "  of  Friesland 
that  we  find  the  germ  of  that  most  primitive  form  of 
government,  the  town  meeting;  the  germ  of  all  that 
is  best  in  our  municipal,  state  and  federal  insti- 
tutions.' 

The  town  meeting  has  been  of  great  value  as  an 
educator,  and  a  conservative  force,  in  New  England 
life.  The  annual  meeting  was  always  opened  with 
prayer,-  and  was  governed  by  the  rules  common  to 
parliamentary  bodies.  Each  "  freeman "  had  an 
equal  voice  in  its  deliberations  and  an  equal  vote  in 
its  action.  It  admitted  of  the  utmost  freedom 
within  certain  well-defined  limits.  The  moderator 
was  chosen  by  a  majority  vote,  and  his  decisions  were 
final,  though  subject  to  an  appeal  to  the  house. 
The  town  meeting  was  the  town  itself,  acting  in 
both  a  legislative  and  an  executive  capacity.  The 
"  select-men  "  were  simply  the  agents  employed  b}^ 
the  town,  and  chosen  by  popular  suffrage,  to  carry 
out  its  Avill.  In  municipal  affairs  the  town  was  an 
autonomy ;  onl}^  in  state  and  national   concerns   did 

1  See  Howard,  Local  Constitutional  History,  vol.  I,  cli.  ii,  for  a  detailed 
account  of  the  town  of  New  England  as  a  iiolitical  factor. 

'  This  ancient  custom  was  revived  at  the  suggestion  of  the  Moderator, 
Mr.  Henry  T.  Bingham,  and  by  vote  of  the  town,  at  the  annual  meeting, 
March  18, 1895. 


BEGINNINGS.  25 

it  acknowledge  any  higher  power.  It  was  the  fons 
et  origo  of  all  earthly  governmental  authority.  The 
town  meeting  shares  with  the  church  and  the  com- 
mon school  the  honor  of  shaping  and  controlling 
New  England  civic  and  social  life.  Attendance 
upon  town  meetings,  and  taking  part  in  them,  if 
only  to  the  extent  of  voting,  unconsciously  moulded 
the  minds  and  formed  the  habits  of  men.  The 
"  March  meeting "  has  for  generations  occupied  a 
foremost  place  among  the  agencies  that  have  helped 
to  form  the  character  of  the  rural  community.  An 
advantage  which  the  town  has  over  the  city  is  the 
training  which  it  affords  in  self-government,  and  the 
oj)portunity  which  it  gives  for  its  exercise.  And  if 
majorities  are  sometimes  unwise  and  infatuated,  and 
minorities  sometimes  obstructive,  if  the  weakness  of 
universal  suffrage  sometimes  makes  itself  promi- 
nent, the  government  of  the  town  is  on  the  whole  as 
safe  and  just  as  any  which  human  wisdom  has  yet 
devised.  It  will  be  a  dark  day  if  it  ever  utterly 
fails  and  breaks  down,  if  the  "  common  sense  of 
most"  becomes  a  fiction  and  a  dream. 


PETITIOJSr   FOR   POWER    TO    ERECT   A   VILLAGE. 

The  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  Salem  for  some  of 
their  church  to  have  Jeffryes  Creeke,  &  land  to  erect  a  vil- 
lage there  for  M""  Willi:  Walton,  John  Blacke,  Willi:  Allen, 
Sam:  Orchard,  Geo:  Norton,  &c.,  comp*;  what  land  &  in- 
largement  may  bee  convenient,  &  is  not  granted  to  any 
other  plantation,  is  granted  them;  &  it  is  referred  to  M^ 
John  Winthrope,  lunior,  and  M"^  Symon  Bradstreete,  to  set- 
tle the  bounds  of  said  village.  3IassachuseUs  Colonial 
Becords,  vol.  I,  30;   Town  Becords,  vol.  I,  13. 


26  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

[The  following  copy  of  the  Petition  is  from  the 
jSf.  E.  Genealogical  Register^  vol.  VII.  It  is  believed 
by  the  Editor,  in  whose  possession  the  MS.  was  at 
that  time  (1853),  never  before  to  have  appeared  in 
print.] 

We  Avhose  names  are  subscribed  belonging  to  the  church 
and  Towne  of  Salem  (being  straitened  in  our  accomida- 
tions,  soe  that  we  are  not  ably  comfortably  to  subsist,  have- 
ing  advised  and  taken  counsell  about  our  present  state  and 
condition,  it  being  Judged  full  and  free  liberty  being 
granted  us  to  remove,  and  noe  place  being  soe  convenient, 
for  our  Easye  removeall  as  Jefferyes  Creeke  lying  soe  neare 
us  and  most  of  us  haveing  some  small  quantity  of  ground 
allotted  to  us  there  already)  doe  therefore  Jointly  and  Hum- 
bly request  the  Hon'^'  Court  to  give  us  power  to  erect  a 
Villiage  there,  and  to  alow  us  Such  Inlargement  there 
abouts  as  is  not  granted  to  any  other  plantation  thus  leave- 
ing  our  request  to  your  wisdomes  Consideration,  With  our 
prayers  for  a  blessing  from  heaven  on  your  psons  and  pro- 
ceedings we  rest 

Your  Humble  petitioners. 

William  Walton  John  Sibley  Robert  Allen 

John  Black  James  Standish  Jo"  ISTorman 

Wm  Allen  John  ffriend  Edmond  Grover 

Sam^i  Archard  John  Pickwith  Pasco  ffoote 

Geo  ITorton  John  Gaily  Wm  Bennett 

Wm  Dixy  Ben :  Parmenter 
1640 


14th:  3  mo 


The  petition  is  granted  &  referred  to  M^"  John  Winthroi> 
&  Mr  Symond  Bradstreet  to  settle  the  bounds. 

p.  curiam  Increase  Nowell,  Secrety. 

vera  copia  atest  Hilliard  veren  cler. 

vera  copia  of  that  coppie,  attest,  Eobert  Lord,  cler. 


BEGINNINGS.  27 

NAMES    OF    PLACES. 

This  List  of  "  Names  of  Places  in  Town  "  is  from 
Dr.  Leach's  "Collections,"  1836.  Most  of  them 
date  back  to  the  earliest  times. 

Hills. — Image,  Moses,  Eagle,  Bennett's,  Mill  Stone, 
Jacks,  Shingle  Place,  Town,  Flagstaff,  Great  Powder  House, 
"Waterman's  Kecks. 

Plains.  — Briery  or  Bushie,  Poplar. 

Meadoavs. — Fresh  meadow.  Cranberry,  Beaver  Dam, 
Cold  Spring. 

SWA3IFS.  — Cedar,  Millett's. 

Makshes. — Xorman's,  Bishop's,  Cheever's,  Barberry. 

Creeks. — Jeffreys,  Chubbs,  Days. 

Coves.  —  Kettle,  Black,  Lobster,  Pebble,  Pitts. 

Points. — Pickworth,  Gale's,  Smith's,  Goldsmith's, 
Marsters,  Glasses,  Bishop's,  Cheever's,  Tuck's. 

Kecks.  — Great  or  Old,  Norton's. 

Brooks. — Wolf  Trap,  Clay,  Cheever's,  Saw  Mill,  Fos- 
ter's Mill. 

Beaches.  —  IS'eck,  Graves,  Gray's,  Black  Cove,  Lobster 
Cove. 

Islands.  —  Great  and  Little  Crow,  Kettle,  Egg,  Ram 
Great  and  Little,  Howes,  Chubbs,  Friends  or  Island  Wharf. 

Springs.  —  Cold,  North  Yarmouth,  Kettle  Cove,  New- 
port, Plains,  Row,  Great  Neck,  Smith's  Farm,  Town  Land- 
ing, Great  Pasture,  Norton's  Neck,  Nicholas  Commons, 
Graves. 

Landings.  —  Smith's,  Marsters,  Black  Cove,  Church 
Lane,  Town  Landing,  Kettle  Cove,  White  Head  Landing. 

Bridges. — Jabez,  near  Bear's  house,  Jones  below  Capt 
Knights,  Town  Bridge,  Centre  Bridge  built  1828,  Chubbs 
built  1835. 


28  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

It  may  interest  some  of  the  iDresent  generation  to 
locate  some  of  these  places,  that  are  no  longer 
familiarly  known  by  the  above  names;  e.  g.,  Water- 
man's Rocks,  Clay  Brook,  Nicholas  Commons. 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE  FIRST  COMERS:  WHO  AND  WHAT  WERE 
THEY  ? 


"Let  us  thank  God  for  having  given  us  such  ancestors; 
and  let  each  successive  generation  thank  Him  not  less  fervently 
for  being  one  step  further  from  them  in  the  march  of  ages." 


CHAPTER   III. 

THE  FIRST  COMERS  :    WHO  AND  AVHAT  WERE  THEY  ? 

THE    HOME    OF     THE     EAELY    SETTLEIIS — THEIK    ESTATE  —  AB- 
SENCE   OF   THE    ARISTOCRATIC    ELEMENT  —  MORALS  — 
LAWS — FAILURE    OF    THE    "THEOCRACY"  — 
A     TRUE     NOBILITT  —  "  GROOVES     OF 
CHANGE." 

WHAT  manner  of  men   were    they  who  first 
settled  these  shores,  who  sowed  the  seed 
whose  harvests  we  now  reap,  who  laid  the 
foundations  of  church  and  state  on  which  we  now 
build? 

From  its  name,  Manchester,  it  has  been  thought 
that  the  town  was  settled  by  people  from  the  vicinity 
of  Manchester,  England.'  Another  supj^osition  has 
been  that  the  town  received  its  name  from  the  Earl 
of  Manchester,  a  warm  friend  of  the  American  colo- 
nies, an  associate  of  Cromwell,  Hampden  and  Pym.^ 
Without  any  definite  knowledge  or  even  tradition 
on  this  point,  it  is  more  than  likel}'  that  the  men 
who  planted  Manchester  in  Massachusetts  were 
mostly  from  the  Eastern  shires,  which  furnished  so 
much  of  the  bone  and  muscle  both  of  Old  and  New 
England  ;  they  were  the   friends  and  neighbors  of 

1  William  Allen  is  said  to  have  been  from  that  place ;  but  of  this  there 
is  no  proof. 

=  Macaulay  speaks  of  his  "  humanity  and  moderation."  Joloi  Hamp- 
den, Edinburgh  Review. 

31 


32  HISTOIIY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Cromwell's  Ironsides  and  of  the  men  and  women 
who  were  the  originals  of  Bunyan's  immortal  char- 
acters. 

The  founders  of  New  England  belonged  mainly  to 
the  middle  ranks  of  life.  There  were  amono-  them 
a  few  of  greater  social  position  —  as  the  Winslows, 
the  Carvers,  the  Brewsters,  the  Winthrops,  the  Sal- 
tonstalls,  the  Endicotts  —  but  they  were  largely 
descendants  of  the  liberty-loving  weavers  of  Flanders 
who  had  fled  to  England  in  the  previous  century 
from  the  persecutions  in  the  Low  Countries,  and  the 
small  farmers  of  the  southern  and  eastern  counties.' 
They  were  of  the  best  stock  of  English  Puritanism. 
They  were  not  broken-down  gamblers  and  roues. 
They  were  of  the  stuff  of  which  commonwealths  are 
made.  They  knew  that  public  prosperity  must  rest 
on  the  foundations  of  intelligence  and  morality. 
They  did  not  thank  God,  like  Governor  Berkely  of 
Virginia,  "  that  there  are  no  free  schools,  nor  print- 
ing." They  were  men  who  prized  education,  virtue 
and  religion,  and  the^^  gladly  made  great  sacrifices  to 
secure  for  themselves  and  their  posterity  these  ines- 
timable blessings.  Their  character  was  of  such  a 
strain  that  it  has  transmitted  its  traits  through  cen- 
turies, and  has  made  all  succeeding  generations  its 
debtors. 

The  migration  had  become  a  serious  matter  to 
England,  where  there  was  then  no  surplus  popula- 
tion. Lord  Maynard  wrote  to  Archbishop  Laud  of 
the  "  danger  of  divers  parishes  being  depopulated." 

1  Many  names  of  towns  in  New  England,  especiallj'  upon  the  seaboard, 
as  also  the  counties,  Suffolk,  Norfolk,  Essex,  Plymouth,  are  from  these 
parts  of  England. 


THE   FIKST   COMERS.  33 

Green  says,  "  The  Third  Parliament  of  Charles  was 
hardly  dissolved  when  '  conclusions  '  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  great  colony  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic  were  circulating  among  gentry  and  traders, 
and  descriptions  of  the  new  country  of  Massachusetts 
were  talked  over  in  every  Puritan  household."  In 
1637,  King  Charles  endeavored  by  royal  proclama- 
tion to  prevent  "  men  of  substance  "  from  emigrating 
to  New  England.'  But  if  this  had  any  effect  in 
deterring  the  more  wealthy  and  aristocratic  from 
leaving  the  Kingdom,  it  resulted  in  New  England 
being  settled  by  the  most  substantial  of  emigrants, 
sifted  out  of  the  mother  country  by  royal  and  pre- 
latical  proscription. 

The  growth  of  the  settlement  was  slow — it  was 
"the  day  of  small  things"  ;  but  there  were  planted 
in  a  few  years  on  these  rugged  and  storm-swept 
shores  by  these  plain,  brave  yeomen  the  seeds  which  in 
a  century  bore  fruit  in  varied  industries  ;  the  forests 
slowly  gave  way,  boat-building  and  the  taking  and 
curing  of  fish  afforded  employment  to  a  frugal  com- 
munity, axes  swung  and  anvils  rang,  and  the  little 
hamlet  showed  unmistakable  signs  of  enterprise  and 
thrift.  True  to  their  instincts  and  their  training, 
the  settlers  soon  began  to  exercise  a  care  for  the 
higher  nature  ;  a  place  of  worship  was  built,  around 
which  the  village  gathered,  thus  fixing  the  site  of 
the  centre  of  the  town  for  generations  to  come  ;  for 

1  "The  oflBcers  and  Ministers  of  his  severall  Ports  in  England,  Wales 
and  Barwick  "  were  commanded  that  "  they  doe  not  hereafter  permit  or 
suffer  any  persons,  being  Subsidie  men  or  of  the  value  of  Subsidie  men,  t'< 
embarque  themselves  "  .  .  .  etc.  A  Proclatnation  against  the  Disorderl ij 
Transporting  of  His  Maiesties  Subiects,  etc. 


34  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

where  the  Puritan  meeting-house  was  reared,  there 
was  the  nucleus  of  social  and  civic  life.' 

It  is  difficult,  after  the  lapse  of  two  centuries  and 
more,  with  the  slight  materials  at  our  command,  to 
draw  a  full-length  portrait  of  a  Manchester  man  of 
the  seventeenth  century.  But  from  what  we  can 
gather  from  brief  records  and  occasional  letters  that 
have  come  down  to  us,  and  from  the  few  traditions 
that  still  linger,  we  shall  not  be  far  wrong  if  we 
conceive  of  him  as  in  the  main  a  religious  and  God- 
fearing man,  one  who  ruled  his  own  household  well, 
a  faithful  husband  and  true  friend,  honest  in  all  his 
business  transactions,  strenuous  in  his  attachment  to 
his  religious  and  political  beliefs,  somewhat  narrow 
and  wholly  uncultivated,  but  possessed  of  strong 
native  character,  and  not  ill-fitted  by  heredity  and 
training  to  act  his  part  in  life. 

From  a  general  knowledge  of  the  men  and  women 
of  the  time,  we  may  fairly  judge  what  Manchester 
men  and  women  —  cceteris  paribus — must  have  been. 
They  were  of  the  average  material  of  which  the  early 
New  England  colonists  were  made.  They  were  neither 
great-minded  founders  of  empire  nor  mere  commercial 
adventurers.  They  were  not  religious  separatists  like 
the  men  of  Pljanouth,  nor  revellers  like  the  men  of 
Merry  Mount.  No  dofibt  there  were  differences  among 
them,  as  there  are  among  their  descendants;  and, 
perhaps,  whether  conscious  of  it  or  not,  most  of  them 
were  actuated  by  somewhat  mixed  motives.  There 
was  on  the  part  of  many,  no  doubt,  the  desire  to  seek 

1  For  a  time  it  might  have  seemed  as  if  the  eastern  part  of  the  town 
Avoukl  be  the  "  West  End,"  the  "Cove"  liaving  the  start  and  for  some 
years  keeping  the  lead. 


THE    FIRST    COINIERS.  35 

"a  faith's  pure  shrine  "  ;  but  there  was  as  certainly, 
on  the  part  of  many,  the  desire  to  better  the  condi- 
tions of  living.  It  is  always  safe,  however,  to  esti- 
mate men  by  their  works ;  and^  judging  the  tree 
planted  on  "  Cape  Anne  in  Newe  Englande  ''  b}^  its 
fruit,  it  must  have  been  of  sound,  sturdy  stock,  its 
juices  nourished  by  the  best  soil  of  English  Noncon- 
formity in  the  times  of  the  Stuarts. 

There  was,  at  the  first,  a  high  state  of  public  mor- 
als. The  slave-trade  was  prohibited  ;  even  cruelty 
to  animals  was  a  civil  offence.  Imprisonment  for 
debt  was  forbidden  by  law,  except  there  was  suspi- 
cion of  fraud. ^  The  first  settlers  were  almost  with- 
out exception  industrious,  enterprising  and  frugal. 
The  consequence  was  a  thrifty,  healthy,  happy  com- 
munity. Even  Lechford,  who  was  no  friend  to  the 
civil  or  ecclesiastical  government  of  the  colony, 
frankly  says,  "  Profane  swearing,  di'unkenness,  and 
beggars  are  but  rare  in  the  compass  of  this  patent."  ^ 
There  was  respect  for  age  and  deference  to  author- 
ity;  the  time  had  not  come  when  "  the  child  [should] 
behave  himself  proudly  against  the  ancient,  and  the 
base  against  the  honorable." 

There  were  laws  against  lying,  as  well  as  stealing; 
against  "  meeting  with  corrupt  company,"  against 
"  tipling  in  ordinaries,"  against  "  contumacy  and  diso- 
bedience to  parents  "  ;  the  court  endeavored  even  to 
regulate  the  matter  of  courtship.^  The  law  made 
itself  felt  everywhere;  one   could  hardly  get  away 

1  Massachusetts  Colonial  Records,  vol.  II,  p.  48. 

2  In  3  Massachusetts  Historical  Collectioiis,  vol.  Ill,  p.  86. 
8  Massachusetts  Colonial  Records,  vol.  II,  p.  207. 


36  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

from  it,  even  if  he  took  to  the  woods  ;  in  1750,  ox- 
sleds  were  ordered  to  be  four  feet  wide,  and  all  over 
were  to  be  "  cut  off  by  any  who  shall  meet  them," 
which  looks  much  like  legislation  run  into  the 
ground.  There  were  laws  that  went  to  an  extreme 
in  the  line  of  sumptuary  legislation,  as  regarded  dress 
and  personal  adornment,  "  excesse  in  apparrell," 
"  new,  strainge  fashions,"  "  superstitious  ribbons," 
"  immodest  laying  out  theire  haire,"  etc'  But  that 
many  of  the  stories  popularly  current  are  untrue  and 
a  libel  upon  the  Puritan  legislation  is  abundantly 
proved."  It  is  easy  to  laugh  at  such  absurdities  and 
trivialities  as  appear  in  our  early  legislation.  But  it 
was  the  very  earnestness  of  our  fathers,  and  their  in- 
tense desire  to  found  a  "  godly  "  communit}^,  that 
led  to  these  blunders.  They  made  the  mistake  of 
endeavoring  to  found  a  New  England  Theocracy, 
and  incorporated  into  the  statute-book  the  Old 
Testament  code  of  legislation.  But  they. had  a  high 
ideal,  and  strove  nobly  to  attain  it  ;  that  they  failed 
was  due  more  to  the  imperfection  of  human  nature 
than  to  their  special  lack  of  wisdom.  They  were 
beclouded  in  their  judgment  by  their  training  in  the 
school  of  ecclesiastical  controversy.     They  were  mis- 

1  Massachusetts  Colonial  Records,  vol.  Ill,  p.  243. 

2  Trumbull, /?/Me  Laivs  True  and  False,  1876.  The  famous  "Blue 
Laws"  of  which  so  much  ridicule  has  been  made  are  contained  in  a  "  His- 
tory of  Connecticut,"  published  anonymously  in  London,  and  ascribed  to 
Rev.  Samuel  Peters,  an  Episcopal  clergyman  and  Tory,  who  had  been  sent 
back  to  England ;  a  disappointed  and  malicious  enemy  of  the  colony, 
whose  mixture  of  truth  and  fable  made  his  work  a  mischievous  one,  and 
whose  Munchausen-like  tales  of  the  "Windham  frogs,"  the  nondescript 
"  Cuba  "  and  "  Whapperknocker,"  stamp  his  work  as  that  of  a  mendacious 
story-teller.  Peters  admits  that  tlie  "  I51ue  Laws  "  were  "  never  suffered 
to  be  printed."  A  copy  of  his  book  is  in  the  Library  of  the  Essex  Insti- 
tute, Salem. 


THE    FIRST    COMEES.  37 

led  by  the  common  habit  of  the  time  of  taking  prece- 
dents of  action  from  the  stories  of  a  repealed  econ- 
omy and  examples  of  living  from  the  heroes  of  a  dis- 
pensation that  had  vanished  away.  As  it  was,  how- 
ever, with  all  its  mistakes  and  failings,  this  must  be 
said,  the  Puritan  commonwealth  was  a  great  advance 
upon  anything  that  had  preceded  it,  unless  it  was 
Calvin's  autocracy  at  Geneva;  it  was  a  long  step 
fiom  the  despotism  of  the  Stuarts  in  the  direction  of 
light  and  liberty."  It  is  not  too  high  praise  to  give 
to  the  men  who  founded  Massachusetts,  the  class  to 
which  our  own  forefathers  belonged,  to  say  that  they 
made  grand  material  for  the  foundations  of  the 
future  state. 

It  has  well  been  said  by  a  former  chief  executive 
of  this  state  "' :  "  We  owe  it  to  them  that  Massachu- 
setts to-day  is  a  state  with  such  a  form  of  govern- 
ment that  she  really  governs  herself — a  common- 
wealth with  a  people  so  brave,  so  educated,  so 
founded  on  principle  and  character,  that  they  govern 
themselves.  And  so,  while  we  do  not  forget  the 
great  advantage  we  possess,  and  the  great  gain  we 
have  made,  we  shall  also  do  well  if  we  maintain  our 
ancestors'  standard  of  high  principle." 

They  cared  little  for  patents  of  nobility  or  ecclesi- 
astical preferment.  They  were  "  nobles  by  the  right 
of  an  earlier  creation  and  priests  by  the  imposition 

1  Even  the  Episcopal  lawyer,  Lechford,  unwelcome  and  obnoxioiis  as 
he  was  to  the  fathers  of  the  colony,  and  retiring  disafEected  from  their 
discipline,  wrote  of  them  in  1C42,  "  I  think  that  wiser  men  than  they, 
going  into  a  wilderness  to  set  up  a  strange  government  differing  from  the 
settled  government  in  England,  might  have  fallen  into  greater  errors  than 
they  have  done."    Plain  Dealing  (To  the  Reader). 

2  Hon.  John  D.  Long. 


38  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

of  a  mightier  hand."  They  looked  with  contempt 
upon    the    claims    of    long    descent.       They    knew 

that 

"  Kind  hearts  are  more  than  coronets, 
And  simple  faith  than  Xorman  blood." 

They  revered  conscience  as  king.  They  feared  no 
evil  and  they  thought  none.  Men  like  George  Wil- 
liam Curtis,'  Macaulay  and  Froude,  who  are  not 
overfond  of  the  Puritans,  are  compelled  to  admit 
that  the  social  and  civic  virtues  which  they  eulogize 
are  the  lineal  and  logical  offspring  of  Puritanism. 

The  intelligenee  of  the  Puritans  was  in  strong 
contrast  with  the  ignorance  and  superstition  —  the 
fear  of  ghosts  and  fairies,  the  prayers  to  tutelar 
saints  and  the  worship  of  images  —  that  still  pre- 
vailed in  many  parts  of  England  as  in  the  time  of 
the  Tudors.^ 

It  is  easy  for  us  in  our  comfortable  h6mes,  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  appliances  and  arts  of  civilization, 
to  laugh  at  the  foibles,  the  mistakes,  the  often  crude 
ways  of  the  pioneers.  But  if  we  rightly  consider 
the  circumstances  in  which  their  lives  were  lived, 
beset  with  difficulties  and  dangers  behind  and  be- 
fore, with  the  perils  of  the  wilderness  on  the  one 
hand  and  opposition  from  over  seas  on  the  other,  we 
shall  be  ready  to  accord  to  our  forefathers  no  com- 
mon meed  of  praise^ 

1  Literary  and  Social  Essays,  New  York,  1895. 

=  Sanford's  Studies  of  the  Great  RebeUioa.  Orme's  Life  of  Bctxter. 
Fuller's  Church  History.    Rushworth's  Collections,  etc. 

3  "  Patient,  frugal.  God-fearing  and  industrious  .  .  .  obeying  the  word 
of  God  in  the  spirit  and  the  letter,  but  erring  sometimes  in  the  interpreta- 
tion thereof —  surely  they  had  no  traits  to  shame  us,  to  keep  us  from  thrill- 
ing with  pride  at  the  drop  of  their  blood  which  runs  n  our  backsliding 
veins."    Alice  M.  Earle. 


THE    FIRST    COMERS.  39 

"Homage,  affection,  we  gratefully  cherish; 

Peeriess  their  fortitude;  faith  unsurpassed 
Wrouglit  in  them  character,  lustrous  in  virtues, 

Masterful,  rhythmical,  while  time  shall  last." 

Oar  forefathers  were  far  from  being  perfect;  they 
had  about  the  average  assortment  of  human  failings. 
When  we  get  near  enough  to  them,  we  find  that 
they  were  made  of  the  same  chxy  as  ourselves. 
There  is  no  need  to  idealize  or  apotheosize  them. 
We  may  well  be  thankful  that  we  had  such  ances- 
tors, and  we  may  well  be  thankful,  also,  that  in 
many  respects  we  have  been  able,  while  imitating 
their  excellences,  to  avoid  their  mistakes.  With  the 
advantage  of  their  knowledge  and  experience,  we 
may  see  farther  and  more  clearly  than  our  fathers, 
though  less  mighty  men  than  they.  They  were  ex- 
plorers who  laid  down  on  the  chart  many  a  rock  and 
shoal  on  which  they  narrowly  escaped  making  ship- 
wreck, that  we  coming  after  them  might  sail  over 
smooth  and  pleasant  seas. 

To  inquire  whether  "  the  former  days  were  better 
than  these  "  has  been  pronounced  unwise,  by  one 
who  had  a  large  experience  of  mankind.  And  it  is 
certainly  hazardous  to  make  sweeping  generaliza- 
tions. In  some  respects,  Manchester  has  witnessed 
a  great  advance;  but  some  very  desirable  things 
have  been  wellnigh  "  improved  "  off  the  face  of  the 
earth.  There  was  a  manly  self-reliance,  a  spirit  of 
independence,  a  faithfulness  to  trust,  a  cheerfulness 
under  the  pressure  of  poverty  and  in  the  midst  of 
discouragement,  that  put  to  the  blush  the  fastidious 
and  pretentious  ways  of  a  "gilded  age."     On  the 


40  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

other  hand,  there  has  been  a  gain  in  breadth,  in  in- 
telligence, in  refinement,  in  the  conveniences  and 
comforts  of  life.  The  past  teaches  us  that  "  the 
secret  of  true  living  "  is  not  the  monopoly  of  any  one 
age. 

"  Xew  occasions  teacli  new  duties;  Time  makes  ancient 
good  uncouth; 

They  must  upward  still  and  onward,  who  would  keep 
abreast  of  Truth. 

Lo,  before  us  gleam  her  watchfires;  we  ourselves  must 
Pilgrims  be, 

Launch  our  Mayflower,  and  steer  boldly  through  the  des- 
perate winter  sea." 


The  following  graceful  and  noble  tribute  to  the 
"  Pilgrim  Fathers,"  from  the  Boston  Daily  Adver- 
tiser^ Dec.  22,  1894,  will  serve,  in  the  main,  for  the 
Puritans  of  Massachusetts  Bay: 

They  believed  that  the  invisible  things  of  this  world  are 
greater  that  the  things  which  are  seen.  They  believed  that 
eternity  is  of  more  consequence  than  time.  They  believed 
that  he  who  shoiild  lose  his  own  soul  to  gain  the  whole 
world  would  make  a  bad  bargain.  They  believed  that 
plain  living  is  none  too  dear  a  price  to  pay  for  the  privilege 
of  high  thinking.  They  believed  that  he  to  whom  any 
precious  and  pregnant  truth  has  been  revealed  must  utter 
it,  or  else  stand  condemned  of  high  treason  at  the  judgment 
bar  of  the  King  of  heaven.  They  believed  that  a  true 
church  may  be  instituted  by  the  voluntary  act  of  a  body  of 
Christian  disciples  organizing  themselves  into  a  communion, 
and  a  lawful  state  by  the  consent  and  cooperation  of  self- 
governing  citizens.  They  believed  these  things  practically 
as  well  as  theoretically.  They  had  the  courage  of  their 
convictions.  They  dared  to  do.  They  feared  nothing  else 
so  much  as  sin,  and  they  counted  no  other  shame  so  great 


THE    FIRST    COMERS.  41 

as  recreancy  to  their  loftiest  ideals.  They  said  what  they 
meant  and  meant  what  they  said.  For  truth  as  they  saw 
it,  for  duty  as  it  was  revealed  to  them,  they  braved  the 
stormy,  lonely  ocean,  endured  poverty  and  exile,  hunger, 
cold  and  death,  a  savage  wilderness  peopled  by  savage  men. 
In  thus  believing,  they  set  an  unsurpassed  example  of 
faith.  In  thus  choosing  the  better  part,  as  between  flesh 
and  spirit,  they  made  a  like  choice  easier  for  all  coming 
generations  of  the  children  of  men  in  all  the  earth. 


CHAPTER    IV. 
THE  EARLY  LIFE  OF  THE  TOWN. 


"The  great  eventful  Present  hides  the  Past,  but  through  the 

din 
Of  its  loud  life  hints  and  echoes  from  the  life  behind  steal  in; 
And  the  love  of  home  and  fireside,  and  the  legendary  rhyme. 
Make  the  task  of  duty  lighter  which  the  true  man  owes  his 

time." 

Whittier. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE   EARLY    LIFE    OF    THE   TOWN. 

SEA  AND  FOREST  —  "  LIGHTS  AND  SHADOWS  "  —  PLAIN   LIVING 

—  MUTTERINGS     OF     STOKM  —  INDIAN    TERRORS  — 

"devouring        wolves"  —  STURDT 

GROWTH  —  LOUIS  BURG  — 

BRIGHTER   DAYS. 

THE  smoke  from  the  "  catted  chimnies  "  '  of  the 
log-huts  that  here  and  there  broke  the  forest,"^ 
arose  in  the  air.  A  "  fishing-stage  "  was  set 
up,  Sabbath  worship  was  maintained,  town  meetings 
were  called,  the  community  took  on  outward  shape 
and  life.  The  beginnings  of  life  are  in  all  cases 
hard  to  describe.  It  is  often  impossible  to  trace, 
step  by  step,  their  slow  evolution.  In  this,  as  in 
other  instances,  there  was  an  almost  imperceptible 
advance.  The  winters  were  severe,  the  soil  was 
rock-bound,  means  of  communication  with  the  out- 
side world  were  of  the  most  primitive  kind,  a  cordon 
of  dark  and  impenetrable  woods  hemmed  in  the  little 
settlement,  the  ocean  had  its  dangers  and  terrors  — 
sometimes  smooth  in  its  treacherous  calm,  sometimes 
lashed  with  fearful  tempests.  The  daily  work  was 
carried  on  with  something  of    military  precaution. 

1  A  term  applied  to  chimneys  built  of  wood,  "  cob-house  "  fashion,  with 
the  spaces  filled  with  clay. 

Ancient  cellar-holes  are  still  visible  at  "  North  Yarmouth."  "Where 
or  by  whom  the  first  house  was  built  is  unknown ;  probably  several  arose 
almost  simultaneously.  "^ 

45 


46  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

Muskets  were  constant  companions,  and  unrelaxing 
vigilance  was  the  price  of  safety.  The  maps  of  the 
period,  as  those  of  Champlain  (1613,  1632),  of  Al- 
exander (1624),  of  Sanson  (1656),  of  Heylyn  (1662), 
show  that  the  knowledge  of  the  interior  was  meagre 
in  the  extreme.  Less  was  knoAvn  of  New  England 
a  little  more  than  two  centuries  ago,  than  is  known 
of  equatorial  Africa  to-day.  Life  was  a  stern  reality, 
and  partook  of  the  solemnity  of  the  mysterious  sea 
and  the  pathless  forests.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the 
character  of  the  early  settlers  took  on  a  serious,  not 
to  say  a  sombre,  coloring.  The  graces  invoked  by 
Milton  in  L' Allegro  had  small  place  in  New  England 
life  or  thought.  What  had  men  who  faced  the  soul- 
depressing  solitude  of  the  wilderness,  to  do  with 
"  soft  Lydian  airs,"  or  with 

"  many  a  winding  bout 
Of  linked  sweetness  long  drawn  out  "  ? 

The  needs  of  the  people  were  simple  and  easily 
supplied.  The  woods  furnished  game,  the  sea  and 
shore  yielded  a  supply  of  fish  ;  '  wild  fruits  and  ber- 
ries were  abundant  in  their  season,  and  potatoes, 
beans,  corn  and  pumpkins  were  grown  with  little 
labor.^  The  implements  of  the  farm,  the  fishery  and 
the  household  were  of  the  most  ^^rin^itive  kind. 
There  were  few  conveniences  and  no  luxuries.  The 
inventories   left  to   us  of  household  goods,  of  farm 

1  "  Some  one  boat  with  three  men  wouUl  take  in  a  week  ten  hnndreds  [of 
exceeding  large  and  fat  mackerel]  which  was  soUl  in  Connecticnt  for  £3,12 
tlie  liundred."  Wiutlirop's  Journal,  1639.  But  this  was  apparently  an  ex- 
ceptional season. 

-  Francis  Higginson  gives  a  most  glowing  account  of  the  fertility,  cli- 
mate and  natural  productions  of  Massachusetts  Bay.  New  England's 
Plantation,  ch.  xii. 


THE    EARLY    LIFE   OF    THE   TOWN.  47 

implements,  and  of  apparel  are  often  amusing  illus- 
trations of  the  frugality,  paucity  and  rudeness  of 
their  furnishings,  which  still  were  of  such  relative 
value  as  to  be  carefully  appraised.  Settles  stood  in 
the  fire-place,  box-beds  occupied  one  end  of  the 
kitchen,  great  logs  blazed  on  the  irons,  a  huge  crane 
hung  in  the  enormous  chimney  ;  a  noon-mark  served 
the  purposes  of  a  time-piece. 

There  was  small  variety  in  the  way  of  literature. 
A  few  households  might  have  a  copy  of  the  "  Sim- 
ple Cobler  of  Agawam,"  ''  A  Glasse  for  New  Eng- 
land," "  Meat  for  the  Eater,"  "  A  Posie  from  Old 
Mr.  Dod's  Garden,"  or  Michael  Wigglesworth's 
"  Day  of  Doom,"  which  was  printed  on  broadsides 
and  hawked  over  the  country.  But  they  were 
hardly  better  off  in  the  mother  Isle.'  But  if  books 
and  newspapers  were  "  few  and  far  between,"  the 
Bible  ^  had  been  brought  with  the  household  stuff 
from  England,  and  was  the  "  present  angel  of  the 
dwelling";  learning  was  as  yet  but  little  prized, 
many  of  the  chief  men  of  the  town  being  unable  to 
write  their  names  ;^  the  language  spoken  was  the 
racy,  idiomatic  English  of  Ben  Jonson  and  Shake- 
peare,  many  so-called  Americanisms  being  survivals 
of  a  usage  current  in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth.^ 
It  was  the  "  age  of  homespun." 

1  Macaulay,  History  of  Enolayid,  ch.  iii. 

2  The  Geneva  Bible  was  generally  preferred  by  the  Puritans,  as  giving 
less  sanction  to  prelatical  and  kingly  assumptions  than  the  version  of  King 
James  (IGll).    See  Appendix  I. 

3  This  was  the  case  as  late  as  1716.  See  Town  Becorcls,  vol.  I,  52, 133, 
135,  etc.  Five,  out  of  the  thirteen  original  settlers  of  Rhode  Island,  in 
signing  the  contract  under  which  Providence  was  governed,  "  made  their 
mark."  The  settlers  of  Manchester  were  not  unlettered  above  other  men 
of  their  time. 

*  J.  R.  Lowell,  y/ie  Biglow  Papers.  Harper's  Magazine,  JanuaiT, 
1895. 


48  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

The  first  road  (one  of  the  indexes  of  civilization) 
is  said  to  have  followed  the  sea-beaches  as  far  as 
practicable,  as  a  sort  of  natural  highway.  After- 
wards the  laying  out  of  roads  was  determined  partly 
by  private  or  local  convenience.  If  something  more 
elaborate  than  a  cart-way  was  attempted,  the  surface 
soil  was  removed  and  some  of  the  larger  stones  were 
dug  up.  Rocks  too  large  for  the  crowbar  were  left 
in  situ,  and  the  road  obligingly  went  round  them. 
Such  highways  as  that  which  caused  a  good  deal  of 
dispute  between  Manchester  and  Beverly,  would 
hardly  be  accepted  by  County  Commissioners  at  the 
present  day  ;  but  they  answered  for  "  the  time  then 
present."  They  were  not  built  for  "  rustlers  "  or 
for  skeleton  gigs,  but  they  could  be  made  to  do  for 
ox-carts  and  for  "  the  deacon's  one-hoss  shay."  Our 
fathers  had  almost  a  contempt  for  material  ease  and 
comfort ;  they  sometimes  preferred  to  go  over  a  hill, 
when  they  might  without  increasing  the  number  of 
rods  travelled  have  gone  round  it.  They  learned 
not  only  to  "  endure  hardness,"  but,  it  would  seem, 
to  enjo^  it.  What,  indeed,  was  a  little  temporary 
inconvenience  to  men  whose  life  was  one  long,  toil- 
some journey,  not  to  the  New  England,  but  the 
Heavenly  Canaan  ?  The  way  t6  the  Celestial  City, 
as  Bunyan  had  pictured  it,  was  rough  and  difficult ; 
should  the  way  to  the  next  parish  be  made  easy  to 
the  flesh  ?     The  world  was  not  made  for  Sybarites.' 

'  This  was  good  reasoning  from  the  Puritan  standpoint ;  as  Whittier 

well  puts  it, 

"  Heaven  was  so  vast,  and  earth  so  small, 
And  man  was  nothing  since  God  was  all." 

Have  we  gained  anything  by  overturning  the  pyramid?    We  have  better 

roads,  but  have  we  more  conscience?  have  we  a  higher  sense  of  duty?  do 

we  hold  a  more  sensitive  balance  of  right  and  wrong? 


-^,--j-r.yy--rrTJ- 


I.i.W      ilcll.sl-. 


HAKKU    llorsK. 


THE   EAELY    LIFE    OF   THE    TOWN.  49 

About  1690,  the  first  mention  is  found  of  a  "  slay" ; 
carriages  appeared  a  little  earlier,  but  they  were  very 
rare.  "  Chairs  "  —  two-wheeled  vehicles  without  a 
top  —  and  chaises,  were  the  earliest  style  of  carriages, 
next  to  the  farm  carts  and  wagons.  Riding  was 
almost  entirely  on  horseback,  by  saddle  and  pillion, 
until  near  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century  ;  the 
roads,  indeed,  except  in  the  vicinity  of  Boston,  Avould 
hardly  have  permitted  any  more  luxurious  mode  of 
travel. 

About  1690,  John  Knight  built  a  house  at  the 
"  Cove  "  which  was  taken  down  in  September,  1890, 
thus  witnessing  two  hundred  years  of  the  town's 
life.     It  is  thus  decribed  by  Dea.  A.  E.  Low  : 

The  house  was  of  one  story,  18  feet  long  on  the  front, 
and  27  feet  on  the  end.  The  front  roof  set  on  a  plate  three 
feet  above  the  attic  floor,  with  a  long  roof  on  the  back  com- 
ing down  to  the  first  story.  The  frame  was  of  oak,  covered 
with  one  and  a  half  inch  plank;  the  posts  and  beams  were 
finished  into  the  rooms.  The  lower  part  was  divided  into 
a  living-room  in  the  front,  and  kitchen  and  small  living- 
room  in  the  rear.  This  house  had  a  cellar  and  represented 
the  better  dwellings  of  that  date. 

Until  a  few  years  ago  it  was  occupied  as  a  dwelling- 
house,  and  was  apparently  comfortable,  though  with 
"  a  general  flavor  of  mild  decay." 

The  house  of  Mrs.  Abby  Baker,  on  Pine  street, 
built  before  1690,  and  which  is  in  good  preservation, 
is  another  specimen  of  a  class  of  houses  which  must 
have  been  rare  at  that  time.  The  old  chimney  was 
taken  down  a  few  years  ago;  it  gave  the  house  a 
much  more  antique  appearance. 


50  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

The  discomfort  of  the  old  houses  in  winter,  even 
the  best  of  them,  was  doubtless  great.  Judge  Sew- 
all  wrote  in  1717:  "an  Extraordinary  Cold  Storm 
of  Wind  and  Snow.  ...  at  six  o'clock  my  ink 
freezes  so  that  I  can  hardly  write  by  a  good  fire  in 
my  Wives  Chamber."  And  Cotton  Mather  writes 
in  1721,  in  his  usual  pompous  fashion  :  "  Tis  Dread- 
ful cold,  my  ink  glass  in  my  standish  is  froze  and 
splitt  in  my  very  stove.  My  ink  in  my  pen  suffers 
a  congelation."  There  were  "  Dutch  stoves "  as 
early  as  1700,  but  we  know  nothing  of  their  con- 
struction, and  they  were  probably  in  use  only  in  the 
larger  towns,  as  Boston  and  Salem,  and  among  the 
wealthier  people.  Huge  fireplaces  which  consumed 
an  enormous  quantity  of  wood,'  but  allowed  most  of 
the  heat  to  pass  up  the  chimney,  were  the  usual 
means  of  waraith,  and  this  at  a  period  when,  accord- 
ing to  all  accounts,  the  winters  were  far  more  severe 
than  in  recent  times. ^ 

As  to  the  Puritan  table,  the  fare  was  coarse  often, 
but  in  general,  plentiful.  Higginson  speaks  of  lob- 
sters weighing  twenty-five  pounds,  and  says  that  "  the 
abundance  of  other  fish  was  beyond  believing." 
Oysters  and  clams  were  to  be  had  for  the  trouble  of 
digging.  There  were  fruits  and  vegetables,  and  a 
good  supply  of  game.  Wild  turkeys  sometimes 
weighed  forty  pounds  apiece,  and  Morton  says  they 
came  in  flocks  of  a  hundred.  A  dozen  wild  pigeons 
sold  dressed  for  threepence.     In  1681,  beef,  mutton 

1  Ministers  had  sometimes  sixty  cords  of  wood  given  them  annually 
toy  the  parish. 

2  We  must  all  agree  with  Hosea  Biglow,  that 

"  Our  Pilgrim  stock  wuz  pethed  with  hardihood." 


THE    EARLY    LIFE    OF    THE    TOWX.  51 

and  jDork  ^yeve  but  twopence  a  pound  in  Boston.  By 
Johnson's  time,  the  New  Englanders  had  '•  Apple, 
Pear  and  Quince  tarts."  Judge  Sewall  speaks  in 
his  Diary  of  "  boil'd  Pork,  boil'd  Bacon  and  boil'd 
Venison  ;  rost  Beef,  rost  Fowls,  pork  and  beans  ; 
conners,  hog-s  Cheek  and  souett;  Minc'd  Pye,  Aplepy, 
chockolett,  %gs,"  etc-  The  fare  of  the  common  peo- 
ple was,  however,  very  simple.  Fresh  meat  was 
rarely  seen,  but  a  hog  or  a  quarter  of  beef  was  often 
salted  down  in  the  autumn,  bits  of  which  later  on 
were  boiled  in  the  Indian  porridge.  The  bread  was 
Indian  or  Indian  and  rye,  and  the  common  drinks 
at  meals  milk  and  cider,  very  rarely  tea. 

People  were  much  crowded  in  the  habitations  of 
those  days.  An  old  MS.  of  1675  '  gives  the  size  of 
families  as  9.02  persons  ;  this  included,  of  course, 
servants  and  dependents  ;  but  families  of  ten  or 
twelve  children  were  not  uncommon.  The  small- 
ness  of  the  houses,  and  the  number  that  often  found 
shelter  under  one  roof,  even  down  to  quite  recent 
times,  is  matter  of  surprise.  The  increase  in  the 
number  and  size  of  houses  in  Manchester  within  two 
hundred  years,  has  been  out  of  all  proportion  to  the 
increase  of  population. 

The  people  were  content  with  their  simple,  homely 
ways ;  if  they  sometimes  suffered  privation  they 
made  the  best  of  it;  and  they  appear  to  have  found 
comfort  in  circumstances  that  seem  to  have  been  en- 
tirely destitute  of  it.  And  so  the  life  of  the  little 
town  went  on,  generation  after  generation,  with  little 

1  Xexv  England  Historical  and  Genealogical  negister,  vol.  xxxix,  p. 
33. 


52  HISTORY    OP   MANCHESTEE. 

change  and  with  little  desire  for  change.  To  use 
Burke's  happy  phrase,  it  was  the  existence  of  a  peo- 
ple "  still,  as  it  were,  in  the  gristle,  and  not  yet 
hardened  into  the  bone." 

The  town  records  give  us  glimpses  of  a  very  prim- 
itive' mode  of  life.  In  1686,  "  Rates  "  were  made 
for  the"  use  and  support  of  his  maiesties  government 
in  new  england,"  levied  upon  thirty-one  taxpayers, 
in  sums  varying  from  6d.  to  Is.  6d.  A  large  part  of 
the  town's  doings  related  to  the  allotment  of  the 
"  coman  land "  ;  then  tliere  was  the  "  suport  of  a 
Gospill  menestery,"  which  was  an  ever  present  and 
pressing  source  of  solicitude  ;  "  Howards  and  feild 
Drivers  "  were  to  be  chosen ;  penalties  were  enforced 
for  "  swyne  fownd  without  the  youke  "  ;  provision 
was  made  for  a  "  Scoolmaster,"  for  "  seaviers  of  high 
wayes,"  for  "  fence  vewers,"  and  for  "  seateing  the 
meting  hous  ";  a  vote  was  taken  to  "chuse  a  man  to 
saveus  in  the  Juri  of  triAles  at  salam,"  or  to  "  send 
to  the  Jennerel  Cort." 

The  life  of  the  town  was  chequered  with  light 
and  shade  ;  it  was  sometimes  sombre  and  sometimes 
glad  ;  but  it  was  never  humdrum.  The  glint  upon 
the  sunlit  waves  and  the  boom  of  the  ocean  surge, 
the  roar  of  the  wind  in  the  rocking  pines  and  the 
weird  sounds  of  the  forest  depths,  the  voice  of  prayer 
and  psalm,  the  mysteries  of  birth  and  death,  the  in- 
fluences of  a  deep,  all-pervading,  awe-inspiring  faith, 
invested  the  homely  and  prosaic  with  wonderful 
pathos  and  sublimity. 

One  of  our  oldest  citizens,  Dea.  A.  E.  Low,  well 
remembers  the  stories  told  around  his  father's  fire- 


THE    EARLY    LIFE    OF    THE    TOWN.  53 

side  in  his  childhood  and  youtli,  by  tJiose  whose 
memory  went  back  to  the  time  of  the  French  war, 
of  "the  toils  and  privations  endured,  the  care,  skill 
and  rigid  economy  brought  into  requisition  to  sup- 
ply the  wants  of  the  family,  the  clearing  away  the 
forests,  erecting  houses  and  building  vessels,  work 
that  involved  a  great  amount  of  labor."  The  men 
and  women  of  that  time  were  hard  toilers,  rising 
early,  "  eating  the  bread  of  carefulness,"  accustomed 
to  privation  and  hardship,  knowing  nothing  of  the 
luxuries  and  little  of  what  we  consider  the  comforts 
of  life.  "  The  story  of  their  rugged  lives  would  fill 
volumes."  ' 

It  is  not  without  a  feeling  of  respect  almost  akin 
to  reverence,  that  we  think  of  those  brave,  indomita- 
ble pioneers.  Barren  as  their  lives  seem  to  us  of 
cheer  and  brightness,  almost  as  barren  as  the  rocks 
among  which  .they  dwelt ;  lonely  as  were  their  lives, 
like  the  shore  visited  only  by  the  sea-fowl  ;  limited 
as  were  their  intellectual  and  social  resources ;  we 
must  award  them  a  high  meed  of  praise  for  their 
patience,  their  piety,  their  pluck,  their  perseverance. 

The  rude  and  hard  conditions  of  life  which  sur- 
rounded the  earlier  generations  from  the  cradle  to 
the  grave  left  little  room  for  the  amenities  and 
graces  ;  they  repressed  and  dwarfed  the  sentiments  ; 
but  they  furnished  a  ground  in  which  the  hardier 
virtues  grew.  A  church  -dignitary  has  recently 
said,  "  A  young  man  can  do  better  work  on  $4,000  a 
year  than  on  $2,000,  because  he  will  not  have   to 

1  The  condition  of  the  people,  however,  was  better  than  that  of  the 
common  ranks  in  England  and  France  at  this  period.  See  Green,  Jessop, 
Macaulay,  Lecky,  etc. 


54  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

look  so  sharply  after  the  dimes  and  nickels."  The 
Bishop  uttered  a  half  truth ;  the  self-denial,  frugal- 
ity and  bravery,  often  necessitated  by  what  Jeremy 
Taylor  calls  "  a  small  economy,"  make  up  with  many 
a  component  part  of  a  noble  character.  It  is  at  least 
open  to  question,  whether  a  condition  of  comparative 
privation  is  not  quite  as  favorable  to  sturdy  and  self- 
reliant  growth  as  a  condition  of  ease  and  opulence. 
Manchester  has  had  some  experieiice  of  both  ex- 
tremes. 

This  infantile  age  of  the  settlement  was  not  with- 
out its  dread  alarms.  As  early  as  1637  the  Indians 
began  to  show  signs  of  hostility  to  th»  new-comers, 
and  the  Pequot  War  for  a  few  years  spread  dismay 
and  terror  through  the  little  settlements.  '  In  1643, 
the  colonies  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  Plymouth,  Con- 
necticut and  New  Haven  formed  themselves  into  a 
union,  under  written  articles  of  confederation,  "  for 
mutual  help  and  strength  in  all  future  concernment," 
a  confederation  which  may  be  called  the  prototype 
of  "  the  larger  union  of  the  colonies  which  conducted 
the  War  of  the  Revolution."  ' 

Although,  from  its  location  on  the  seaboard,  Man- 
chester did  not  suffer  directly  from  Indian  attacks 
as  did  many  settlements  in  the  inteiior  —  as  Ha- 
verhill, Medfield,  Sudbury,  Marlborough,  Groton, 
Brookfield  and  Deerfield  ^  —  a  constant  apprehension 

1  Justin  Winsor,  article  on  Massachusetts,  Encyclopedia  Brittanica, 
ninth  edition. 

2  The  same  spirit  of  enterprise  and  love  of  adventure  which  peopled 
the  Great  West  and  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  in  an  earlier  day  overflowed  the 
Allefthanies  into  "  the  Ohio,"  had  sent  out  not  only  its  scouts  but  its  bona 
fide  settlers  into  the  Connecticut  Valley  before  the  last  of  the  men  who 
came  over  with  Winthrop  and  Eudicott  had  passed  to  their  graves. 


THE   EAKLY    LIFE    OF    THE    TOWN.  55 

of  danger  and  false  alarms  made  the  life  of  the 
community  for  many  years  one  of  disquiet  and 
trquble.  The  frontiers  of  New  England  were  struck 
with  fire  and  slaughter  ;  rapine  and  death  fell  upon 
peaceful  settlements  ;  the  outposts  of  civilization 
were  driven  in,  and  the  very  life  of  the  English  col- 
onies in  the  New  World  was  seriously  menaced. 

It  is  impossible,  on  account  of  the  loss  of  early 
records,  to  discover  with  accuracy  what  part  the 
town  had  in  the  early  Indian  wars.  But  among  the 
"  flower  of  Essex  "  who  served  in  the  company  of 
Captain  Lothrop  of  Beverly  at  Bloody  Brook,'  the 
following  Manchester  men  were  slain  :  Samuel  Pick- 
worth,  John  Allen,  Joshua  Carter,  John  Bennett.^ 
Seventy  men  were  later  drafted  for  the  Essex 
County  Regiment,  to  fight  the  French  and  Indians. 
This  Essex  Regiment  consisted  of  thirteen  compa- 
nies of  foot  and  one  of  cavalry. 

The  pay  of  soldiers  was  6s.  per  week,  and  5s.  for 
"  cVyet."  Prices  of  clothing  were,  "  Wastcoats,"  6s.  ; 
"Stockens,"  2s.  ;  Shirts,  6s.;  Shoes,  4s.  The  old 
"  Matchlock  "  musket  was  the  regulation  weapon  of 

1 "  On  the  18tli  of  September  (O.  S.),  1G75,  a  large  number  of  men  who 
were  spoken  of  by  Colonel  Winters  as  "  the  Flower  of  Essex,"  were  am- 
bushed and  killed  at  Bloody  Brook,  South  Deerfield,  Mass.  The  circum- 
stances were  as  follows.  These  men  were  doing  garrison  and  patrol  duty 
along  the  Connecticut  River  in  the  fall  of  1G75.  Oh  the  morning  of  Sep- 
tember 18  they  started  from  Deerfield  to  relieve  the  inhabitants  of  Hadley, 
who  were  threatened  by  the  savages.  Some  four  miles  south  of  Deei-fleld, 
at  the  crossing  of  a  brook,  they  were  taken  in  an  ambuscade  and  were  all 
destroyed.  This  has  been  called 'that  most  fatal  day,  the  saddest  that 
ever  befell  New  England.'  The  brook  by  which  they  fought,  and  on  whose 
bank  they  were  buried  in  a  common  grave,  took  from  that  day  and  from 
that  incident  the  name  of  Bloody  Brook."  The  Spirit  of  '76,  November, 
1894. 

-  Dr.  J.  B.  Felt,  followed  by  Dr.  Leach,  gives  the  name  Samuel 
Bennett. 


56  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

the  time  ;  it  was  an  exceedingly  cumbrous  affair, 
and  was  so  long  and  heavy  as  to  require  a  "  rest." 
The  other  equipments  of  a  foot-soldier  were  a  "  Snap- 
sack,"  six  feet  of  match  or  fuse,  a  Bandolier  —  a 
leathern  belt  passing  over  the  right  shoulder  and 
under  the  left  arm  —  containing  a  dozen  or  more 
boxes  each  holding  one  charge  of  powder  ;  a  bag 
of  bullets  and  a  horn  of  priming  powder  were  also 
attached  to  this  belt.' 

The  Indian  uprising  left  its  blood-stained  mark 
upon  our  early  history.  But  out  of  it  came  a 
brighter  day  for  the  colonists.  At  its  close,  the 
power  of  the  red  man  was  effectually  broken.  Men 
breathed  more  freely  wlsen  they  were  no  longer 
obliged  to  carry  arms  to  church  and  field,  and  to 
watch  every  thicket  for  a  lurking  foe.  The  death 
of  Philip,  and  the  breaking  up  of  the  confederacy  of 
which  he  was  the  head,  marked  the  commencement 
of  a  new  era  of  peace  and  prosperity  for  the  English 
settlements.  It  was,  however,  a  costly  victory.  In 
the  loss  of  propert}',  and  the  increased  burdens  of 
taxation,  it  was  felt  in  the  community  for  many 
years. "^  Of  the  ninety  towns  in  the  colonies  "  twelve 
were  utterly  destroyed,  while  mere  than  forty  others 
were  the  scene  of  fire  and  slaughter."^  Taxes  iia- 
creased  from  ten  to  fifteen  fold;  the  debt  incurred 
by  the  Indian  wars  has  been  estimated  as  high  as 
fifty  thousand  pounds.'' 

1  Soldiers  in  King  Philip's  War,  George  M.  Bodge,  Boston,  1S91. 
-  "  It  was  years  before  some  towns  recovered"  from  the  blow.    Barry, 
History  of  Massachusetts,  vol.  I,  p.  4-17. 

8  The  Beginnings  of  Xeiv  England,  John  Fiske,  240. 
-*  Barry,  History  of  Massachusetts,  vol.  II,  p.  8. 


THE    EARLY    LIFE    OF    THE    TOWN.  57 

Perils  and  fears  from  wild  beasts,  also,  were  added 
to  those  from  wild  men.  There  were  hypothetical 
"  lyons "  at  Cape  Anne,  and  veritable  bears  and 
wolves.'  On  one  occasion,  the  people  at  the  "  Cove  " 
were  alarmed  by  the  sound  of  distant  firing,  and  ap- 
prehended an  Indian  raid,  but  as  nothing  came  of  it, 
it  was  afterward  supposed  that  some  settlers  were  en- 
deavoring to  frighten  the  wolves  from  their  sheep- 
pens  and  barnyards.  The  town  voted,  July  8,  1754, 
that  "the  present  Selectmen  shall  Draw  From  the 
Town  Treasurer  What  Money  they  shall  think  ned- 
ful  to  Joyn  with  other  Towns  and  Lay  it  out  in  such 
ft  way  and  manner  as  they  shall  think  most  Likely 
to  Destroy  those  Devouring  Wolves  which  are  in 
or  may  be  found  in  the  Woods  between  Ipswich 
Gloucester  Manchester  Beverly  and  Whenham."  If 
the  wolves  were  such  a  trouble  in  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  what  must  they  have  been  a 
hundred  years  earlier?  A  letter  from  Governor 
Dudley  to  the  Countess  of  Lincoln,  written  in  1631, 
shows  to  what  annoyance  the  first  settlers  were  sub- 
ject: 

"  Uppon  the  25  of  tjiis  March  one  of  AYaterton  having 
lost  a  calfe,  and  about  10  of  the  clock  at  night  hearinge  the 
howlinge  of  some  wolves  not  farr  off,  raised  many  of  his 
neighbours  out  of  thir  bedds,  that  by  discharginge  their 
muskeets  neere  about  the  place,  where  he  heard  the  wolves, 
hee  might  soe  putt  the  wolves  to  flight,  and  save  his  calfe; 
the  wind  serveing  fitt  to  carry  the  report  of  the  musketts  to 
EQcksbury,  3  miles  of  at  such  a  time,  the  inhabitants  there 

1  The  wolves  must  have  been  particularly  aggravating ;  as  one  chroni- 
cler relates,  "  They  sat  on  their  tayles  and  grinliecl  at  us."  The  wolves 
have  long  since  disappearetl,  and  it  is  many  years  since  the  last  family  of 
Bears  lived  in  Manchester. 


58  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

took  an  alarme,  beate  upp  tlieir  drume,  armed  themselves 
and  sent  in  post  to  us  in  Boston  to  raise  us  allsoe.  Soe  in 
the  morning  the  calfe  l:)eing  found  safe,  the  wolves  af- 
frighted, and  our  danger  past,  wee  went  merrily  to  breake- 
fast." 

After  more  than  half  a  century  of  struggle  be- 
tween the  colonies  and  the  crown,  the  King  an- 
nulled the  charter  in  1685,  and  Sir  Edmund  Andros 
was  sent  out  to  govern  New  England  and  New 
York.  His  administration  proved  so  arbitrary  and 
oppressive  that  the  inhabitants  of  Boston  rose  in 
revolution  in  1689,  deposed  and  imprisoned  Andros, 
and  reestablished  the  colonial  form  of  government. 
Manchester,  it  appears,  was  true  to  the  interests  of 
the  colony,  and  put  on  record  its  determined  action 
in  this  critical  state  of  political  affairs. 

May  17,  1689. 

We  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Manchester  being  met 
together  on  the  day  aforesaid  to  consider  and  adyise  about 
the  present  exigency,  being  very  sensible  and  thankful  to 
God  for  his  great  mercy  in  giving  us  such  a  wonderful  de- 
liverance out  of  the  hand  of  tyranny  and  oppression,  and 
rendering  our  hearty  thanks  to  those  gentlemen  who  have 
been  engaged  in  so  good  a  work  as  the  conserving  of  our 
peace  and  safety  and  likewise  very  sensible  of  the  jiresent 
unsettlement  of  our  affairs  do  hereby  declare  that  we  ex- 
pect our  honored  Governor,^  deputy  governor  and  assistants 
elected  by  the  freemen  of  this  colony  in  May  168G,  together 
with  the  deputies  sent  down  by  the  respective  towns  to  the 
Court  then  holden,  shall  convene,  reassume  and  exercise 
the  government  as  a  general  court  according  to  our  charter 
forthwith,  for  and  in  submission  to  the  crown  of  England. 
We  do  hereby  promise  our  assistance  in  persons  and  estates. 
By  me  Thos.  Tewksbury,  Ck. 

in  behalf  of  the  Town. 

1  Simon  Bradstreet,  who  was  elected  in  1G79,  and,  with  the  exception  of 
the  administration  of  Sir  Edmund  Andros,  continued  in  office  until  1692. 


THE   EARLY    LIFE    OF    THE    TOWX.  59 

It  is  evident  that  our  forefathers  were  men  of  in- 
telligence, public  spirit  and  patriotism ;  they  kept 
rank  with  the  brave  and  devoted  leaders  of  those 
heroic  times.  The  moral  and  civic  virtues  were 
being  nursed  ia  every  little  village  and  hamlet 
which  were  afterwards  embodied  in  such  men  as  the 
Adamses,  James  Otis  and  John  Hancock,  and  re- 
sulted in  the  independence  of  these  United  States. 

With  the  relief  that  Avas  experienced  after  the  ces- 
sation of  Indian  hostilities  and  the  high-handed  acts 
of  Andros,  the  colonists  entered  upon  a  more  pros- 
perous career.  Manchester  shared  in  the  general 
activity.  New  enterprises  were  undertaken,  meas- 
ures of  public  utility  were  set  on  foot,  and  the  com- 
munity emerged  from  the  torpid  condition  in  which 
nearly  half  a  century  of  poverty  and  general  disturb- 
ance had  left  it.  About  this  time,  a  new  road  was 
laid  out  from  Manchester  to  Gloucester.  This  began 
at  the  Common,  went  up  Union  to  Washington 
street,  thence  through  the  burial  ground,  down  Sum- 
mer street,  to  near  the  "  Row  "  schoolhouse,  and 
thence  by  what  is  now  known  as  the  "  old  road  "  it 
crossed  the  railroad  track  and  connected  with  the 
road  as  now  travelled  aear  the  top  of  the  "  great 
hill."  Before  this  time  the  road  was  by  Sea  street, 
thi'ough  the  Towne  and  Dana  estates,  and  crossed 
the  present  county  road  near  the  entrance  to  the 
most  western  of  the  "  Dana  Avenues." 

At  this  period  also,  the  first  store  was  opened  in 
town  in  the  house  now  owned  by  Mr.  Joseph  Proctor 
on  Sea  street.  The  first  tavern  was  built  "  for  the 
entertainment  of  man  and  beast,"   on  North  street. 


60  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

This  old  house  was  originally  two  stories  in  front, 
Avith  a  long  'Sloping  roof  to  the  rear.  The  whole 
structure  was  remodelled  about  sixty  years  ago.  It 
is  now  owned  by  Mr.  Alexander  Kerr.  The  second 
tavern  was  the  old  "  Joe  Babcock  house,"  at  the 
head  of  Beach  street ;  and  the  third  stood  nearly  in 
front  of  the  Priest  Schoolhouse,  and  was  kept  by 
Dea.  John  Allen,  "  innkeeper,"  and  afterwards  known 
as  the  "  Murray  house."  It  formerly  had  over  its 
door  a  gilt  ball  from  which  it  received  the  name  of 
the  "  Golden  Ball." 

But  little  is  known  of  the  first  taverns  or  their 
keepers.  No  doubt  these  ancient  hostelries  bore  an 
important  part  in  the  early  life  of  the  town.  The 
tavern  Avas  "  the  secular  meeting-house  of  the  com- 
munity." In  it  affairs  of  moment  were  planned  and 
discussed.  It  was  the  scene  of  many  a  warm  debate, 
and  of  many  an  encounter  between  village  wits.  It 
held  a  position  of  influence  and  importance,  whicli  it 
lost  with  the  passing  away  of  the  stage-coach  and  the 
advent  of  railroads. 

In  1691,  the  old  church  was  found  too  small,  and 
the  town  voted  to  build  a  new  one.  The  second 
schoolhouse,  also,  now  appeared,  with  its  "  School 
dam  "  and  "  horn-book."  '  A  tide-mill  had  been 
built  as  early  as  1644,  "  upon  the  river  near  the 
meeting-house  "  ;  it  was  a  one-story  log  structure.^ 

1  "  books  of  stature  small 

Which  with  pellucvid  horn  secured  are 
To  save  from  lingers  wet  the  letters  fair." 
These  horn-boeks  were  studied  by  the  children  of  the  Puritans  as  late  as  1715. 
They  are  referred  to  in  .Tudge  Sewall's  Diary,  and  appear  in  the  booksellers' 
lists  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century.    It  is  not  kno«ni  thatone 
is  now  in  existence.  -  It  stood  until  182G. 


THE   EARLY    LIFE    OF    THE    TOWN.  61 

In  1705,  a  small  mill  was  built  upon  the  site  of  the 
"  old  Baker  mill,"  on  what  was  then  called  "  Brushie 
plain." 

About  the  year  1700  the  "Cove  "  had  grown  to  be 
"  quite  the  largest  precinct  in  the  town."  Joseph 
Knight  then  owned  there  three  hundred  acres  of 
land,  on  which  were  a  saw-mill  and  blacksmith  shop. 
Asa  Kitfield  built  a  large  number  of  vessels,  and  was 
engaged  in  the  fishing  business  and  in  the  lumber 
trade.  Capt.  Nehemiah  IngersoU,  a  retired  Boston 
merchant,  owned  "  a  nice  hip-roofed  house,  hand- 
somely furnished,"  just  beyond  Wolf  Trap  Brook, 
where  he  resided  with  his  daughters  after  the  death 
of  his  wife.  Here  came  Dr.  Manasseh  Cutler  of 
Hamilton,  one  of  the  most  accomplished  men  of  his 
time,  and  a  great  factor  in  the  settlement  of  Ohio,  to 
talk  botany  with  Miss  Mary.  It  was  here  that  Gif- 
ford  Goldsmith  lived,  who  held  most  persistently 
that  the  sun  travelled  around  the  earth,  and  that  its 
distance  as  calculated  by  the  shadow  cast  by  his 
walking-stick  was  four  thousand  miles,  and  whose 
conclusive  answer  to  all  who  questioned  his  cosmog- 
ony was,  "  Let  God  be  true,  and  every  man  a 
liar." 

The  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century  is  gener- 
ally considered  an  uneventful  one.  The  colonies 
grew  and  strengthened  themselves,  men  planted  and 
builded,  married  and  were  given  in  marriage,  the 
seasons  came  and  went  in  all  their  pomp.  The  peo- 
ple were  mostly  too  busy  in  subduing  the  wilderness 
and  reaping  the  harvest  of  the  sea  to  trouble  them- 
selves with  the  great  conflict  between  England  and 


62  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

France,  or  with  the  great  political  movements  that 
were  taking  place  in  Europe. 

There  were  still  many  drawbacks.  Great  incon- 
venience, if  not  suffering,  was  caused  hj  the  unset- 
tled financial  condition.  According-  to  the  Suffolk 
Probate  Records,  the  price  of  silver  rose  between 
1720  and  1745,  from  10s.  to  36s.  per  oz.,  and  gold 
from  <£8  to  £24.  The  money  market  was  in  a  con- 
stant state  of  disturbance,  owing  to  the  irredeemable 
"  fiat "  currency.  But  there  was  peace  if  not  pros- 
perity. "  Fear  of  change  "  might  perplex  monarchs 
and  statesmen,  but  the  lot  of  the  people  of  Man- 
chester was  a  comparatively  quiet  one.  The  rumored 
massacre  of  some  of  their  number  by  the  savage 
Indians  at  Pemaquid,  or  a  large  haul  of  cod  on  the 
Banks,  excited  more  iliterest  than  the  great  Marl- 
borough's victories.  The  community  lived  largely 
within  itself.  At  last,  however,  an  event  occurred 
which  stirred  to  life  the  English  colonists,  especially 
those  of  the  seaboard  towns. 

In  1745,  the  far-famed  fortress  of  Louisburg,  on 
Cape  Breton,  a  strategic  position  of  such  importance 
that  it  had  received  the  name  of  "  the  French  Dun- 
kirk in  America,"  was  besieged  by  a  combined  Brit- 
ish and  American  force  under  the  immediate  com- 
mand of  Sir  William  Pepperell.  After  a  vigorous 
siege  and  assault,  the  stronghold  surrendered,  June 
17,  and  the  English  became  masters  of  the  whole 
North  American  coast.  The  roster  of  the  men  who 
served  from  Manchester  has  not  been  preserved. 
But  it  is  known  that  Lieut.  Samuel  May  was  in  the 
CHgagement ;  Jacob  Morgan  and  John  Hassam  were 


THE    EARLY   LIFE    OF   THE    TOWN.  63 

killed  ;  William  Tuck  was  a  sailor  on  a  British 
frigate ;  Jacob  Foster  was  at  the  siege  and  not 
heard  from  afterwards  ;  Benjamin  Craft  was  attached 
to  the  Commissary  Department,  kept  a  journal,  and 
wrote  beautiful,  Christian  letters  home  to  his  wife ; ' 
and  David  Allen  kept  a  journal  of  the  expedition, 
of  which  unhappily  nothing  remains.  ^ 

The  expedition  to  Cape  Breton  and  the  siege  and 
capture  of  Louisburg  has  well  been  considered  the 
most  darincT  and  marvellous  feat  in  all  our  naval 
histor3^  "  The  New  England  sailors  had  no  fear  to 
anchor  on  the  open  coast,  close  in  shore,  and  they 
landed  their  guns,  and  by  their  handy  use  of  ropes 
and  tackles,  transported  them  over  creeks,  swamps 
and  morasses,  and  mounted  them  on  platforms  and 
opened  fire."  ^ 

The  great  thunder-peal  to  the  eastward  was  fol- 
lowed by  an  after-clap  which  echoed  on  our  own 
shores.  On  Sept.  26,  1746,  we  are  told,  there  was 
great  alarm  in  town,  lest  an  attack  should  be  made 
by  a  French  fleet  ;  a  company  was  raised  at  Cape 
Ann,  a  watch-house  was  built,  people  were  in  great 
fear,  and  many  secreted  their  effects.  The  storm- 
cloud,  however,  passed  off  to  sea,  and  its  mutterings 
subsided  into  calm.  The  fishing-boats  pushed  out 
from  the  inlets,  the  brown  sails  slipped  over  the 
horizon's  rim,  blanched  cheeks  took  on  color  again, 
and  the  grim  sentinels  went  back  to  the  caulker's 
shops  and  shipyards. 

1  Appendix  K. 

-  Dr.  Leach  gives  the  names  also  of  Daniel  Foster  and  Thomas  Jones  at 
Lonisburg. 

3  Admiral  F.  A.  Roe,  Wooden  Walls  <ind  American  Seamen,  The 
Spirit  of  '76,  March,  1835. 


64  HISTOKY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

In  his  "  Oration  on  the  History  of  Liberty,"  at 
Charlestown,  July  4,  1838,  Edward  Everett  made 
mention  of  "  a  citizen  of  Manchester  "  as  then  living, 
who  was  at  Braddock's  Defeat,  July  9,  1755,  and 
who  well  remembered  Washington's  appearance  and 
almost  miraculous  escape,  at  that  disastrous  rout. 
But  as  eighty-three  years  had  elapsed  since  that 
date,  any  one  present  at  the  battle  must  have  been 
one  hundred  j^ears  old  or  more,  in  1838.  There 
were  no  soldiers  living  at  this  time  in  Manchester, 
as  Mr.  W.  H.  Tappan  has  ascertained,  over  ninety 
years  of  age.  The  distinguished  orator  had  evidently 
been  misinformed,  and  Manchester  loses  the  honor 
of  having  been  represented,  so  far  as  is  known,  in 
the  ill-starred  expedition  to  Fort  Duquesne. 

With  the  fall  of  Louisburg,  followed  by  that  of 
Quebec  (1759),  the  supremacy  of  France  in  the  New 
World  passed  into  the  hands  of  her  great  rival,  and 
the  colonies  were  freed  from  a  constant  menace. 
The  overthrow  of  the  French  arms  meant  also  the 
weakening  of  the  strength  and  courage  of  the  Abo- 
rigines to  such  an  extent,  that  they  gave  little 
trouble  in  future  to  the  whites.  The  peace  of 
Aix-la-Chapelle  left  many  things  still  unsettled  — 
questions  as  to  boundaries  and  the  jDossession  of 
islands  off  the  coast  of  North  America  —  but  the 
struggle  which  from  the  first  had  kept  the  colonies 
in  an  almost  continual  state  of  excitement  and  per- 
turbation was  transferred  from  Ncav  England  soil. 
The  imagination  no  longer  saw  in  the  sunset  glow 
the  glare  of  burning  villages,  or  heard  in  the  cry  of 
the  screech-owl  the  dreaded  war-whoop.     With  the 


THE    EARLY   LIFE    OF    THE    TOWN. 


65 


brightening  of  the  horizon  after  the  capture  of 
Louisburg,  came  a  general  advance,  improvement  in 
the  style  of  living,  increase  of  towns,  better  build- 
ings, larger  trade  and  more  prosperous  times. 

"  Over  the  roofs  of  the  pioneers 

Gathers  the  moss  of  a  hundred  years ; 

On  man  and  his  works  has  passed  the  change 

Which  needs  must  be  in  a  century's  range; 

The  land  hes  open  and  warm  to  the  sun; 

Anvils  clamor  and  mill-wheels  run; 

Flocks  on  the  hillsides,  herds  on  the  plain, 

The  wilderness  sfladdened  with  fruit  and  grain  !" 


Below  is  a  list  of  the  early  residents,  as  near  as 
can  now  be  ascertained,  with  the  date  of  their  con- 
nection with  the  settlement. 


1686, 

William  Allen. 
Eichard  ^STorman. 
John  iSTorman. 
William  Jeffrey. 

1629. 

John  Black. 

1636. 

Robert  Leach. 
Samuel  Archer, 
Seargent  Wolf. 
John  More. 
George  Norton. 
John  Sibley. 

1637. 

John  Pickworth. 
John  Galley.    ^- 
William  Bennet. 
Pasco  Foote. 
Thomas  Chubbs. 

1640. 

John  Friend. 
Waiiam  Walton. 
James  Standisb. 
Benjamin  Parmiter. 


Robert  Allen. 
Edmond  Grover. 
Rev.  Ralph  Smith. 

1650. 

Henry  Lee. 
William  Everton. 

Graves. 

Joseph  Pickworth. 
Nicholas  Vincent. 
John  Kettle. 
Robert  Knight. 

1651. 

Robert  Isabell. 
Nath'l  Marsterson. 
Richard  Norman. 

1654. 

Thomas  Millett. 

1660. 

Moses  Maverick. 
Samuel  Allen. 
John  Blackleeche. 

1662. 

Pitts. 

John  Elithope. 


1664. 

John  Crowell. 

1665. 

John  West. 


1666. 

Richard  Glass. 
Rev.  John  Winborn. 

1667, 

Thomas  Bisbop. 
Jenkins  Williams. 

1668. 

Oneciphorus  Allen. 

1670. 

William  Hooper. 
Nich.  Woodberry. 

1674. 

Ambrose  Gale. 
Commit  Marston. 
Elodius  Raynolds. 
John  Mason. 
James  Pittman. 


66 


HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 


1680.  1684.  1687. 

John  Lee.  William  Hosliam.  John  Norton. 

Samuel  Lee.  John  Foster.  William  Allen. 

Isaac  Whitcher.  Mark  Tuckei-.  Thomas  Ayhairse. 

John  Gardner.  John  Knowlton.  Eliab  Littlefield. 

Robert  Leach.  Emanuel  Day.  Richard   Leatherer. 

John  MaBston.  Elisha  Reynolds.  John  Bishop. 

Thos.   Tewkesbury.  Joseph   Woodberry.  Samuel  Crowell. 

Thomas  Ross.  James  Pitman.  Rev.  John  Everleth. 

Samuel  Allen.  Robert  Knight,  Jr.  Rev.  John  Emerson. 

Manassa  Marston.  Epharam  .Jones.  John  Burt. 

Walter  Parmiter.  John  Allen.  Jonas  Smith. 

James  Rivers.  Aaron  Bennett. 
Felix  Monroe. 

TABLE   OF    PRICES. 
1657  —  1661. 

Negro  Boy £20.        Swine      ......  20s. 

Cow 3.        Cord  of  Wood      ...  Is. 

Horse 10.        Yoke  of  steers     .     .     .  £10. 

Ox 5.         Otter  skin        ....  10s. 

1755  —  1760. 

Indian  Corn,            6s.  per  bu.  Wood,  £4  to  £4, 15s. 'per  cord. 

Rye,  6s.  per  bu.  Cider,  £1,  10s.  to  £2'  per  bbl. 

Wheat,                    10s.  per  bu.  Eggs,  3s.  6d.  per  doz. 

Pork,                         7d.  per  lb.  Cheese,  4s.  per  lb. 

Beef,                          od.  per  lb.  Chocolate,  lis.  per  lb. 

Potatoes,     5s.  to  17s.  per  bu.  Wool,  Is.  per  lb. 

Hemp  &  Flax,           Is.  per  lb.  Salt,  £1,  17s.'  per  bu. 

Sugar,                        5s. 'per  lb.  Bread,  19s.  per  cwt. 

Codtish,  £1,  10s.  to  £2,  10s.'  per  Iron,  £4  per  cwt. 

quintal..  Turpentine,  £2  per  bbl. 
Laborers,  7s.  to  15s.  per  day. 
1  Old  Tenor. 


idS^^ 


'-^^j^ 


MTJKRAY  HOUSE. 


CHAPTER   V. 
THE  REVOLUTIONARY   EPOCH. 


"Wise,  and  brave,  and  virtuous  men  are  always  friends  to 
liberty." 
A  Thanksgiving  Discoukse,  Dr.  Jona.  3£ayhew,  Boston,  1706. 

"  What  constitutes  a  State  ? 

Not  high-raised  battlement  or  labor'd  mound, 

Thick  wall  or  moated  gate  ; 

^  ^  ^  -^  ^ 

No  :  —  Men,  high-minded  Men, 

Men  who  their  duties  know. 
But  know  their  rights,  and  knowing,  dare  maintain  ; 

These  constitute  a  State." 

Sir  William  Jones. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE   REVOLUTIOISrARy   EPOCH. 

GATHERING   CLOUDS  —  THE   STOBM — "  FAINT   YET   PURSUING  " 

—  DATS     OF     DARKNESS  —  INVENTORIES  —  ROMANTIC 

GLEAMS  —  THE     INSURGENTS  —  "  THE      GREAT 

sickness"  —  BELIEFS  AND  MISBELIEFS 

—  "HEROES   OF   '76." 

THE  period  which  now  passes  under  review  in- 
cludes the  War  of  the  Revolution  with  the 
causes  which  more  immediately  led  up  to  it, 
and  the  more  immediate  results  of  that  struggle  for 
independence.  It  may  be  said  to  begin  about  the 
5'ear  1760,  and  to  close  about  1800.  These  four 
decades  were  a  time  of  momentous  and  stirring  in- 
terest. The  period  of  repose  which  followed  the 
peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle  was  not  long  to  continue. 
The  memories  of  the  French  war  were  still  fresh  in 
the  mind  ;  the  men  who  fought  with  Amherst  and 
Abercrombie  had  hardly  beaten  their  swords  into 
ploughshares  and  their  spears  into  pruning-hooks  ; 
the  exploits  of  the  "  Rangers "  still  formed  the 
theme  of  many  an  evening  gathering  around  the 
wide-mouthed  chimney-place,  —  when  ominous  signs 
of  an  approaching  conflict  with  England  ap]3eared  in 
the  horizon. 


70  HISTOEY  OF    MANCHESTER. 

It  were  a  weary  and  profitless  task  to  trace  all 
the  causes  which  led  up  to  the  War  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Successive  acts  of  oppression  on  the  part  of 
the  British  ministry,  matched  by  a  growing  spirit  of 
independence  on  the  part  of  the  Colonists,  prej)ared 
the  way  for  the  open  rupture.  Had  Lord  North's 
administration  been  more  politic,  had  the  elder  Pitt's 
counsels  been  heeded,  America  might  have  remained 
a  loyal  dependence  of  the  British  crown.  But  with 
an  infatuation  that  seems  difficult  of  explanation, 
the  whole  legislation  of  the  mother  country  seemed 
contrived  to  alienate  the  affections  of  her  children, 
and  to  drive  them  from  her  side.  The  iron  hand 
was  not  covered  with  the  velvet  glove.  Gradually 
at  first,  and  then  more  swiftly,  complications  multi- 
plied. Troops  sent  to  enforce  the  decrees  of  the 
King  in  Council  and  to  support  arbitrary  Provincial 
Governors  were  quartered  upon  the  people;  exaction 
after  exaction  strained  to  the  utmost  tension  the 
relations  between  the  two  parties,'  until  it  was  evi- 
dent that  a  conflict  was  inevitable.  The  j^is  divinum 
of  kingship  had  never  been  an  article  of  the  Puritan 
creed.  The  men  who  had  settled  America  were 
acute^  inquisitive,  dexterous,  prompt  in  action,  full  of 
resources  ;  they  could  "  augur  misgovernment  at  a 
distance,  and  snuff  the  approach  of  tyranny  in  every 
tainted  breeze."  ^  It  has  been  said  of  them  that  they 
had  a  "  high  constructive  i7istinct,  raising  them  above 

1  The  feeling  towards  England  felt  by  many  at  this  time  is  illustrated 
by  a  story  told  by  Capt.  Thomas  Leach  of  his  grandfather,  Ezekiel  Leach, 
who  told  his  children  one  day  as  they  were  going  to  school,  if  the  teacher 
asked  them  to  spell  "  England,"  not  to  do  it. 

-  Burke's  Speech  on  Conciliation  with  America,  1775. 


THE    REVOLUTIONARY   EPOCH.  71 

their  age,  and  above  themselves."  John  Adams  gave 
utterance  to  a  general  conviction,  when  he  declared 
in  the  Congress  of  1775  :  "No  assembly  ever  had  a 
grei>ter  number  of  great  objects  before  them  ;  prov- 
inces, nations,  empires  are  small  tilings  before  us."  ^ 

In  all  the  hitherto  passive  resistance  to  British 
oppression,  Massachusetts  had  taken  the  lead  ;  her 
position  as  a  champion  of  liberty  had  been  recog- 
nized. Even  three-quarters  of  a  century  before  a 
contemporary  writer  had  said,  "  All  the  frame  of 
heaven  moves  upon  one  axis,  and  the  whole  of  New 
England's  interest  seems  designed  to  be  loaded  on 
one  bottom ;  and  the  particular  motions  to  be  con- 
centric to  the  Massachusetts  tropic.  You  know  who 
are  Avont  to  trot  after  the  Bay  horse."  ^ 

When  things  had  come  to  such  a  pass  that  it  was 
felt  that  forbearance  was  no  longer  a  virtue,  the  col- 
onies began  to  appoint  Committees  of  Safety  and 
Correspondence,  and  to  unite  for  consultation  and 
mutual  assistance.  The  year  1775  dawned  with  a 
dark  and  troubled  sky  ;  the  spirit  of  resistance  was 
fairly  aroused  ;  no  one  could  foretell  just  where  or 
how  the  crisis  wouW.  come,  but  men  "stood  still 
with  aweful  ej'e,"  and  in  the  silence  that  precedes 
the  storm  watched  to  see  the  curtain  rise. 

Our  interest  is  in  the  humble  part  which  Man- 
chester played  in  this  great  drama.  Year  after  year 
the  records  are  chiefly  occupied  with  local  municipal 

'  Life  and  Works  of  John  Adams,  vol.  I,  p.  170. 

-  Letter  of  3Ir.  Wiswall  to  Governor  Hinckley,  Nov.  5, 1691.  Instances 
of  punning  like  this  are  exceedingly  rare  in  the  writings  of  the  Puritan 
age.  Our  fathers  Avere  not  without  their  humor,  grim  as  it  sometimes 
was,  but  it  found  expression  in  oth^  ways. 


72  HISTORY   OF    IVLA-NCHESTEE. 

matters,  as  the  "  asessing  of  Rates,"  "  Releife  of  The 
Poor,"  settling  of  Bounds,  raising  money  to  "  suport 
the  Hy  Ways,"  voting  of  appropriations  for  a 
"  Gramer  Choole,"  directing  the  selectmen  to  "  Care 
for  those  who  should  Behave  themselves  disorderly 
in  ye  Meeting-house  by  leaving  their  Seats  and  tak- 
ing others,"  electing  "  Hay  wards  and  Deer  Reaves," 
and  such  other  business  as  came  "  Legaly  before  tlie 
Meeting."  But  with  the  historic  year,  1775,  matters 
of  wider  and  more  public  concernment  began  to  find 
place  in  the  records.  Among  these  are  the  appoint- 
ment of  Committees  of  Correspondence,  establish- 
ment of  "  watches,"  voting  of  bounties,  and  various 
acts  respecting  requisitions  for  the  Army,  which 
were  sometimes  granted  and  sometimes  refused, 
raising  of  quotas,  appeals  to  the  General  Court  for 
abatement  of  taxes,  and  dealing  with  "  Internal 
Enemies." 

It  was  a  "  storm  and  stress  "  period,  and  not  all 
who  were  of  Puritan  ancestry,  whose  progenitors  had 
fought  at  Naseby  and  Marston  Moor,  were  of  the 
stuff  to  stand  the  strain.  Besides  the  Tories  who 
openly  espoused  the  royal  cause,  there  were  others 
like  the  men  of  Meroz,  who  "  came  not  up  to  the  help 
of  the  Lord,"  to  the  weakening  and  discouragement 
of  the  patriots  of  Israel."  The  disturbed  condition 
of  the  seaboard  during  the  years  immediately  pre- 
ceding the  Revolution  may  be  inferred  from  the 
emigration  which  took  place    to   Nova   Scotia  and 

1  One  patriotic  family  —  so  at  least  tradition  has  it  —  retired  from  their 
home  to  live  for  a  time  in  the  Gloucester  woods;  anxious  probably,  in  case 
of  an  invasion,  to  support  their  friends  and  neighbors  as  a  sort  of  rear- 
guard. 


THE    REVOLUTIONARY    EPOCH.  73 

New  Brunswick  from  the  eastern  towns  of  Essex 
County.'  There  is  a  tradition  that  many  of  these 
emigrants  before  leaving  painted  the  chimneys  of 
tlieir  houses  tvhite,  with  the  understanding  that  they 
would  be  respected  by  the  British  in  case  of  hostil- 
ities. 

The  following  extracts  from  warrants  and  records 
of  town  meetings  will  show  something  of  the  temper 
and  condition  of  the  town  during  these  "  times  that 
tried  men's  souls  "  : 

Jan.  8, 1775.  To  Choose  a  Committee  to  agree  upon  a 
Certain  sum  of  Money  tD  be  raised  for  the  support  ©f  the 
Minute  men  so-called. 

Mar.  20.  Yoted  to  keep  four  Watches  :  one  at  Glasses 
head  or  Black  Cove  :  to  Eang  from  Chubs  Creek  to  Mars- 
ters  Point  one  in  the  Center  of  the  Town  to  Kange  from 
Bennetts  Hill  to  Edward  Hoopers  Corner  :  one  at  the  old- 
N'eck  to  Eang  from  the  Northern  End  of  Glasses  Beach  to 
Thunder-Bolt  Hill  :  and  one  at  Kettle-Cove  on  Great  Crow- 
Island. 

May  23.  Voted  that  if  M^  Daniel  Presson  shall  refuse  to 
watch  or  do  his  turn  in  Watching  that  He  will  greatly  Incur 
the  displeasure  of  the  Town. 

July  17.  Yoted  to  Choose  a  Committee  of  Correspond- 
ence to  consist  of  Nine  Men. 

The  committee  of  correspondence  were,  John  Lee, 
Jonathan  Herrick,  Samuel  Forster,  Jacob  Hooper, 
Aaron  Lee,  John  Edwards,  Isaac  Lee,  Isaac  Proctor, 
Eleazer  Crafts. 

Dr.  Joseph  Whipple,  the  first  physician  in  Man- 
chester, was  made  captain  of  the  Coast  Guards  ;  the 
following  is  a  copy  of  his  orders. 

1  Life  of  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  vol.  I,  p.  2. 


74  HISTOKY    OF    MANCHESTEPw 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  Committee  of  Correspondence  on 
Monday,  the  25th  of  September,  1775. 

"  Captain  Joseph  Whipple.  — As  you  and  the  half  com- 
pany of  soldiers  stationed  .in  the  town  of  Manchester  and 
under  the  care  of  the  Committee  of  Correspondence,  we 
order  you  to  jjroceed  as  foUoweth  :  — 

"  Firstly.  We  order  you  and  your  enlisted  soldiers  to 
meet  on  the  Town  Landing,  complete  in  arms,  as  directed 
by  the  Congress,  at  two  o'clock  every  day  except  Sunday, 
and  t©  discipline  your  soldiers  two  hours  and  a  half,  and 
them  that  don't  appear  by  half  after  two  o'clock  shall  pay  a 
fine  for  each  default  of  eight  pence  to  be  taken  out  of  their 
wages. 

"  Secondly.  We  order  you  and  your  soldiers  to  carry 
your  arms  to  meeting  every  meeting  day,  according  to  the 
resolves  of  the  Congress. 

"  Thirdly.  We  order  you  to  keep  three  watches  in  town, 
two  in  each  watch  by  night,  and  one  by  day.  One  watch 
on  Glasshead,  and  one  watch  on  Image  Hill,  and  one  on 
Crow  Island. 

"  Fourthly.  We  order  you  to  go  the  rounds  two  nights 
in  each  week,  to  see  that  there  is  a  good  watch  kept,  and  in 
case  any  of  them  should  be  found  deficient  that  they  may 
be  tried  by  the  articles  of  war,  as  they  are  in  the  army  at 
Cambridge. 

^'Fifthly.  AVe  order  you  to  see  that  no  night-watch 
leaves  the  watch  till  he  is  relieved  by  the  day-watch,  and  no 
day-watch  till  relieved  by  the  night-watch,  and  see  that  the 
watch-houses  are  not  left  destitute  the  day  or  night. 

"  Sixthly.  We  order  that  the  Town  Landing  be  the  Laram 
port  at  all  times,  that  in  case  of  any  alarm  that  the  soldiers 
make  the  best  of  their  way  to  the  Laram  port  to  receive 
orders  ;  except  as  is  for  Article  Eighthly. 

"  Seventhly.  We  order  that  if  any  shall  leave  the  body 
and  not  appear  on  parade  without  leave  of  the  officers,  they 
shall  pay  a  fine  of  six  shillings,  to  be  taken  out  of  their 
Wages  for  each  default. 


THE   EEVOLUTIONARY    EPOCH.  76 

"  Eighthly.  We  order  that  if  any  alarm  should  be  at 
Kettle  Cove  that  the  men  that  are  there  shall  keep  there, 
and  the  rest  to  appear  at  the  alarm  post,  and  in  case  the 
alarm  should  be  at  Newport  the  men  that  are  there  shall 
keep  there,  and  the  rest  to  appear  as  above." 

Jan.  22,  1776.  Voted,  Firstly  to  throw  up  Some  In- 
trenchmeuts  In  sum  Convenent  Plaee  In  the  Town.  .  .  . 
Forthly  voted  that  the  People  of  Town  should  work  Two 
Days  If  they  Please  on  said  Intrenchments. 

Mar.  18.  To  see  if  the  town  will  Choos  a  Standing  Com- 
mittee of  Correspondence  and  also  To  see  if  the  Town  will 
Choos  a  Committee  to  Petition  the  house  of  Kepresenta- 
tives  for  this  Colony  to  obtain  Pay  icK  the  Town  watch- 
ing. 

Feb.  13,  1777.^  Voted  to  give  to  Each  Person  that 
will  Inlist  into  the  Conteneutal  servise  Fowerteen  Pound 
Besides  the  Bountys  Given  by  the  Continent  and  Prov- 
inces. 

Jan.  9,  1778.  To  Consider  or  Determin  what  Efectual 
meathod  shall  be  Taken  towords  assesing  Leveing  and  Col- 
ecting  the  money  Paid  as  an  Extra  Bounty  to  those  Solders 
who  Inlisted  in  to  the  Continental  service  for  the  terme  of 
three  years  for  the  town  of  Manchester  ware  as  some  of 
the  famelys  of  the  solders  of  the  Continentale  Service 
are  in  a  Suffering  Condition  and  for  their  Emediate 
Keleave. 

Att  a  Town  Meeting  Leaguly  worned  for  the  Porpose 
mentinoid  in  the  foregoing  worant  Voated  for  the  Conmmit- 
tee  of  Supplyes  to  settle  with  the  solders  namely  that  their 
husbands  are  in  the  Continentale  Service  so  Far  half  of 
their  wages  will  go  agreaible  to  the  Price  acct  and  Refund 
the  over  and  above  Surpresage.^ 

1  In  1777  the  warrant  for  the  town  meeting  began  with :  "  In  the  name 
of  the  government  and  people  of  this  colony"  instead  of  "  In  the  name  of 
his  Majesty  George  the  Third,  etc.,"  as  before. 

2  What  questions  of  construction,  interpretation  and  intention  might 
arise, to  the  delight  of  lawjers,  were  acts  so  expressed  in  our  modern 
legislation.  But  want  of  legal  phraseology  is  a  small  afliiction  compared 
with  a  "  government  of  lawyers." 


76  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

April  13.  Att  a  Town  Meeting  Leagully  assembled  In 
order  to  Consider  of  the  forme  of  the  Government  Consti- 
tution and  Proceeded  as  folloeth.  .  .  .  adjourned  the  Meet- 
ing Tell  Monday  18  Day  of  May  at  8  In  the  Morning  and 
Then  Meet  lly  Voted  by  the  \^#lole  body  at  the  meeting 
which  was  23  In  Number  that  they  Disaprove  of  the 
meathod  of  the  Constatutiant. 

May  17.  Voted  Not  to  send  a  Eepresentative  Judging 
the  Town  as  a  Town  Not  able  to  Pay  the  charge. 

[No  date]  1779.  Att  a  Towne  Meeting  Leagully  assem- 
bled to  Geatherto  see  if  the  Town  would  Proceed  to  rais  six 
men  to  Joj'ue  the  Continentall  Army  Voted  after  Long  De- 
bate AVeather  The  Selectmen  should  rais  y^  whole  of  the  six 
men  or  Not  it  passed  in  the  Negitive  Voted  Not  to  Eais 
more  than  two  out  of  the  six  ^  Voted  to  Perfer  a  Pertishon 
to  Genei'all  Tidcolme  ^  to  Git  of  the  men  To  be  Raised  on 
the  Town  Voted  that  y®  Select  should  try  to  Hyer  two  men 
in  the  Best  manner  they  Can. 

Att  a  Town  Meeting  Leagully  Assembled  on  y«  Third 
Day  of  Janary  1780  To  Petishion  y«  Court  for  an  Abatment 
of  ys  Late  Tax  Layed  on  this  Town.  21y  Voted  to  Chuse 
an  agent  to  Represent  3'e  town  at  Court  with  a  Memorall  or 
a  Petishion  as  the  Assessors  shall  think  proper.  31y  Voted 
that  Eleaser  Craft  for  their  agent  to  attend  the  Court  for 
the  Above  Purpos.'^ 

[19  June  1780]  Voted  to  Give  Twelve  Pounds  in  addi- 
tion to  their  wages  in  Hard  Mony  Sartan  or  if  the  Mediam 
is  More  puting  the  Towns  To  gather  than  our  Solders  is  to 
Receive  as  Much  more  as  the  Mediam  amounts  To  Puting 
all  the  Towns  To  geather. 

[26  June  1780]  Voted  Not  to  Give  more  Bounty  than  the 
Towns  give  In  Generall  Voted  to  Give  120  Hard  Dollars  as 
a  Bounty  to  each  solder  that  shall  Enlist  To  serve  for  the 
terme  of  six  Months  &  No  More. 

1  No  wouder  that  the  raising  of  six  men  was  opposed,  as  only  twentj'-  | 
three  voters  mustered  at  an  important  meeting  a  few  months  before. 

2  Brigadier  Benjamin  Titcomb. 

s  Vide  Note  A  at  end  of  chapter. 


THE  EE VOLUTION AEY  EPOCH.         77 

Oct.  9.  Voted  to  Kais  Seven  Thousand  Pounds  i  To  Pur- 
ches  ye  Beef  -  Voted  to  Reconsider  y^  Vote  Voted  Xot  to 
Comply  with  The  Orders  from  the  Court  sent  to  this  Town 
Let  the  Consequauce  Be  what  it  will.  [The  town  was  sub- 
sequently fined  for  this  recusancy.] 

Nov.  21,  1781.  Voted  to  Lay  out  1000  Hard  DoUers  In 
Hyering  Men  for  three  years  or  During  the  War  as  far  as 
that  will  go.^ 

[May  7,  1782.]  Voted  Samii  Foster  &  Elez^  Craft  be  a 
Commett  to  see  if  the  Two  men  that  was  Engaged  for  the 
service  would  Release  ther  Engagments  the  Answer  Re- 
turned Yes. 

In  April,  1775,  came  the  call  to  arms,  on  the 
occasion  of  the  attempt  of  the  British  to  seize  the 
military  stores  at  Concord.  The  following  men 
responded  and  marched  for  the  scene  of  conflict,  but 
receiving  at  Medford  tidings  of  the  retreat  of  the 
British,  they  returned  home.  Their  names  deserve 
being  put  on  record  :  — 

Andrew  Marsters,  Captain  ;  Sam.  W.  Forster, 
First  Lieutenant  ;  Eleaser  Crafts,  Second  Lieuten- 
ant ;  Andrew  Lee,  John  A.  Brown,  Benj.  Crafts, 
Jona.  Herrick,  William  Brown,  Sergeants  ;  John 
Baker,  Jos.  Killam,  Daniel  Obier,  Corporals  ;  Jacob 

1  This  must  have  been  in  paper,  or  "  Continental  "  currency. 

-  In  the  Schedule  appended  to  Resolves  passed  by  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives, Dec.  4, 1780,  Manchester  is  assessed  8,626  "  weight  of  beef," 
or  "  money  sufficient  to  purchase  the  same." 

3  The  original  draft  of  a  letter,  dated  Boston,  Oct.  10, 1781,  from  Israel 
Hutchinson  to  "  Col.  Eleazer  Crafts  manchister,"  is  on  file  in  the  Town 
Archives,  in  which  the  town  is  warned  against  men  from  the  "  Eastern 
Contry  "  who  were  offering  themselves  for  the  army  and  in  some  instances 
proving  deserters,  and  saying  that  if  the  town  can  "  Rease  the  money," 
"  men  anuff "  can  be  found  who  "  Stands  fare  "  ;  the  explanation  of  which 
is,  there  were  men  ready  to  take  advantage  of  the  dire  necessities  of  the 
time,  who  after  letting  themselves  to  the  towns  to  make  up  their  quotas, 
were  sometimes  not  to  be  found.  All  rascality  and  meanness  do  not  be- 
long to  the  last  part  of  the  nineteenth  century. 


78  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Allen,  Ezekiel  Allen,  John  Allen,  Samuel  Ayers, 
Zachari  Brown,  Wm.  Badcock,  Sam.  Bennett,  Simon 
Baker,  Aaron  Bray,  John  Cheever,  Thomas  Cheever, 
Thomas  Colony,  David  Carter,  Jesse  Dodge,  Moses 
Dodge,  Joseph  Eveleth,  Thomas  Grant,  Nath.  Has- 
kell, Benj.  Haskell,  John  Knowlton,  John  Knights, 
Wm.  Knights,  Edward  Kitfield,  Aaron  Lee,  Nath. 
Lee,  Simeon  Low,  Joseph  Lee,  James  Lee,  Aaron 
Lewis,  Israel  May,  Azariah  Norton,  Wm.  Stone, 
John  Tewksbury,  Privates ;  John  Bailey,  Drum- 
mer. ' 

Twenty-one  of  these  men  enlisted  in  the  Conti- 
nental Army.  Samuel  Ayreswas  discharged  in  1771 
from  H.  M.  64th  Regt.,  in  which  he  had  served 
nineteen  years.  He  served  through  the  war,  mak- 
ing in  all  twenty-eight  years  of  military  service. 

Manchester  bore  her  part  in  the  historic  conflict 
by  sea  and  land,  from  the  opening  action  to  the  final 
victory;  her  sons  fought,  and  bled,  and  died,  sinking 
often  into  unknown  graves,  and  leaving  their  only 
memorial  in  the  hearts  of  mourning  friends.^ 

It  is  easy  to  see,  as  we  read  "  between  the  lines  " 
of  the  almost  illegible  records  with  their  quaint 
spelling  and  phraseology,  that  our  fathers  of  the  Rev- 
olution, with  all  their  hardships  and  poverty  and 
illiteracy,  were  in  the  main  brave,  loyal,  determined 
men,  men  with  whom  the  liberties  of  the  nation 
could  be  safely  trusted.  These  "  village  Hampdens  " 
made  a  bold  stand  Avhen  they  voted  "  that  Constable 

1  "  The  colors  of  this  company  were  preserved  for  many  years  by  Major 
Forster,  and  at  his  death  passed  into  the  hands  of  his  grandson,  James 
Knight,  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion."    W.  H.  T. 

2  A  list  of  the  Revolutionary  soldiers  is  given  in  Appendix  F. 


THE    EEVOLUTIOXAEY   EPOCH.  79 

Brown  shall  not  pay  Treasurer  Gray  [Harrison  Gray, 
Esq.,  Treasurer  of  the  Province]  what  of  the 
Province  Money  he  has  in  his  hands,"  and  "  that 
Constable  Jonathan  Brown  pay  what  of  the  publick 
Money  he  has  in  his  hands  forthwith  to  Henrj^ 
Gardner,  Esq''  of  Stow."  '  Such  were  the  men  who 
in  their  humble  seaside  homes  in  New  England 
shared  the  spirit  of  Cromwell  and  Pj'm,  "  daring  to 
feel  the  majesty  of  Right,"  and  loving  the  liberties 
of  mankind.  It  is  not  so  easy  to  realize  the  "  strait- 
ness  and  scarcity  "  which  these  men  and  their  fam- 
ilies suffered.  It  is  said  that  there  were  times  when 
all  the  men  capable  of  bearing  arms  were  either  in 
the  army,  or  manning  the  little  earth-works  dignified 
by  the  name  of  "  forts,"  or  serving  on  board  priva- 
teers,' leaving  women  and  children  and  old  men  to 
till  the  land  and  to  eke  out  their  subsistence  from 
the  sea.  Added  to  all  other  difficulties  the  Conti- 
nental money  had  so  depreciated  that  in  1780,  £15 
was  the  common  exchange  for  £1  in  silver.'^  At 
this  time  "  four  months'  pay  of  a  private  soldier 
would  not  purchase  for  his  family  a  single  bushel 

1  Toum  Records,  Kov.  21,  Dec.  27, 1774. 

'  There  was  but  little  objection  felt  at  this  time  to  the  profession  of 
privateering.  Franklin  had  not  yet  published  his  protest  against  it. 
Privateering  afforded  a  vent  for  the  active  and  restless  spirits  of  the 
time  ;  it  was  not  without  some  creditable  associations,  and  the  life  of  a 
privateersman  was  full  of  the  charms  of  novelty,  adventure  and  risk. 

3  In  17S1,  there  "  had  been  issued  by  Congress  a  total  of  about  $350,000,- 
000  in  paper,"  and  this  volume  had  been  augmented  by  various  and  excessive 
issues  of  paper  money  by  the  States.  These  unsecured  "  promises  to  pay  " 
were  quoted  at  one  time  "at  the  rate  of  04^  to  1  of  gold,  and  §oon  after  ceased 
to  be  quoted  at  all  and  were  considered  entirely  worthless."  The  S2nrit  of 
'76,  New  York.  Bancroft  {History  of  iltc  UnHed  States,  ed.  1885,  v,  440) 
gives  the  value  of  the  dollar  "  buoyed  up  by  the  French  alliance,"  in  1778, 
at  20  cents  ;  it  fell  to  5  cents  the  next  April,  and  to  2^  cents  in  December. 


80  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

of  wheat ;  the  pay  of  a  colonel  would  not  purchase 
oats  for  his  horse  " ;  '  a  leg  of  mutton  was  cheap  at 
81,000. 

These  inconveniences  and  sufferings  may  not  have 
been  so  great  as  those  experienced  in  the  Jerseys 
and  on  the  so-called  Neutral  Grround,  in  the  vicinity 
of  New  York,  during  the  occupation  of  that  city  by 
the  British  :  but  they  were  sufficient  to  put  the  pa- 
tience and  patriotism  of  the  inhabitants  to  a  severe 
strain. 

The  fear  of  a  descent  upon  the  coast  by  some  of 
the  enemy's  cruisers  was  one  that  was  always  felt  ; 
people  lived  in  almost  constant  dread.  Persons  still 
living  remember  "  The  Old  Garden,"  as  it  was 
called,  a  locality  near  the  present  Magnolia  station, 
where  families  in  the  easterly  part  of  the  town  made 
for  themselves  a  temporary  settlement  in  times  of 
threatened  danger.^  Tlie  comparative  poverty  of 
the  people,  the  almost  total  destruction  of  the  mari- 
time and  fishing  interests,  and  the  demand  of  the 
war  for  men  and  money,  made  the  years  from  1774 
to  1784  a  decade  of  almost  unparalleled  trial  and 
suffering.  "  The  Declaration  of  Independence  was 
entered  in  full  on  the  Records  of  the  Town  of  Man- 
chester at  the  time  it  was  made,  and  throughout  the 
war  every  nerve  was  strained  and  every  resource 
was  nearly  exhausted  in  its  support.  The  town 
called  in,  and  spent  in  the  war,  all  the  money  which 
was  at  interest  for  the  support  of  tli.e  ministry,  and 

1  Irving,  Life  of  U'ashin{/to)t,  iv,  31. 

2  The  apple-trees  were  in  "  a  state  of  decay"  in  1816;  the  wall  is  still 
standing. 


THE   EEVOLUTIONARY   EPOCH.  81 

all  that  could  be  collected  from  taxation,  and  then 
gave  their  notes  for  means  to  pay  the  Government 
drafts  and  to  support  tlie  soldiers  and  their  families, 
in  the  defence  of  that  Declaration."  ' 

The  spirit  of  our  fathers,  their  love  of  freedom 
and  their  unselfish  devotion  to  the  principles  for 
which  the  "  embattled  farmers  "  stood  on  Lexingfton 
Green  and  at  Concord,  were  worthy  the  memories  of 
Thermopylae,  of  Marathon,  of  Runny mede,  of  the 
Dutch  war  for  independence. 

It  will  add  to  our  admiration  of  these  men  if  we 
remember  that  the  country  had  not  recovered  from 
the  strain  of  the  French  war,  when  the  Revolution 
began.  Franklin  said  that  the  colonies  had  "  raised, 
paid  and  clothed  nearly  twenty-five  thousand  men 
during  the  last  war  —  a  number  equal  to  those  sent 
from  Great  Britain,  and  far  beyond  their  proportion. 
They  Avent  deeply  into  debt  in  doing  this,  and  all 
their  estates  and  taxes  are  mortgaged  for  many  years 
to  come  for  discharging  that  debt."  And  nowhere 
did  the  burden  of  the  i3ublic  charges  rest  upon  the 
people  more  heavily  than  in  New  England.  Owing 
in  part  to  the  location  of  the  colonies  on  the  sea- 
coast,  they  suffered,  both  directly  and  indirectly,  to 
an  extent  which  only  the  most  unflinching  devotion 
and  heroic  endurance  could  have  enabled  them  to 
bear. 

We  are  to  make  some  allowance,  no  doubt,  for  the 
strong  language  used  by  John  Adams,  who  was  a 
born  aristocrat,  in  the  Debates  on  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  '•'  the  condition  of  the  fishermen   of 

I  Paper  reail  at  celebration  in  Salem  (Monday),  July5, 1852,  by  John  Lee. 


82  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

the  Northern  States  is  as  abject  as  that  of  slaves  ";  ' 
but  no  doubt  it  was  one  of  great  poverty  and  hard- 
ship; so  much  the  more  credit  is  due  to  them  for  the 
many  noble  and  manly  qualities  -which  they  devel- 
oped. They  were  men,  at  all  events,  in  whom  was 
an  inextinguishable  love  of  freedom;  they  believed, 
"  Better  is  a  dinner  of  herbs  where  liberty  is,  than  a 
stalled  ox  and  slavery  therewith."  ' 

The  following  extracts  from  an  Assessors'  Book, 
preserved  in  the  Town  Treasurer's  Office  (supposed 
date  about  1760),  a  little  pamphlet  of  32  pages,  note 
size,  date  and  names  of  Assessors  MKinting,  give  an 
idea  of  the  taxable  propert}"  of  that  time: 

Dea.  Jou=^  Herrick:  Polls  rateable  3.  Dwelling  Home  1. 
Amiual  worth  i,'28.  Money  at  Interest  £20.  2  Horses. 
6  Oxen.  6  Cows.  5  Sheep.  2  Hogs.  100  acres  Pasturing. 
10  acres  Tillage,  1.50  bushels  Grain,  10  barrels  Cyder,  etc. 
The  Honi'ie  Daniel  Edwards  Esq^.  2  Polls.  1  Dwelling 
Home  &  Shop.  1  Warehouse.  2  Pish  houses.  165  ton  of 
Vessels.  Trading  Stock  £146,13,4,  2  horses,  4  oxen,  5 
cows,  70  acres  of  pasture,  10  acres  Engi^  mowing,  25  B: 
grain,  etc:  John  Lee  Esq^  1  Poll  Eateable.  1  dwelling 
home.  2  warehouses.  5  Fish  houses.  130  Peet  wharf. 
Annual  worth  £30.  3  Servants  forLife.^  261  Ton  Vessels. 
£130  Trading  Stock.  Interest  money  £53,13,4.  52  acres 
pasture,  4  acres  Marsh,  9  acres  English  mowing,  100  B: 
Grain,  3  Barrels  Cyder,  5  Tons  produce,  etc.  Eichard  Day 
%  Poll  not  Eateable.  1  Servant  ISTegroe.  1  Mare.  1  Cow. 
2  acres  Tillage.  2>2  acres  English  mowg.  25  B:  of  grain, 
1)4  Barrel  Cyder  1^  Ton  hay;  etc. 

1  Papers  of  James  Madison,  Mobile,  1842,  vol.  I,  p.  29. 
-  Prov.  XV,  17. 

3  Samuel  Lee  was  also  an  owner  of  slaves,  one  of  whom,  a  waiting  maid, 
he  bequeathed  to  his  wife  "  and  her  \\eixs  forever." 


THE    EEVOLUTIOXARY   EPOCH.  83 

These  were  among  the  largest  taxpayers.  The 
majority  of  the  inventories  show  very  modest  in-, 
comes  and  estates.  In  many  instances,  one-half, 
one-third,  or  one-fourth  of  a  dwelling-house  is  as- 
sessed. .  The  "  annual  worth "  is  rated  in  some 
cases  as  low  as  20  shillings.  Here  were  certainly 
no  bloated  bond  holders  or  millionaire  overlords; 
there  was  a  comparative  equality,  presenting  few 
temptations  to  anarchistic  uprisings  and  few  oppor- 
tunities of  avaricious  and  domineering  oppression. 
There  was  no  imjjassable  gulf  between  the  lowest 
and  the  highest.  There  was  no  severe  strain  upon 
the  relations  between  employer  and  employed.  And 
yet  there  were  distinctions,  and  no  doubt  some  com- 
plained of  the  inequalities  of  rank  and  wealth,  and  de- 
clared that  the  rich  were  becoming  richer  and  the  poor 
becoming  poorer.  Each  century  and  generation  fancies 
that  the  golden  age  was  in  the  past;  if  we  take  heed 
to  the  voice  of  history  and  experience,  we  shall  "  seek 
one  to  come." 

The  War,  as  it  dragged  its  slow  length  along,  had 
its  stirring  and  romantic  incidents.  The  situation 
of  Manchester  on  the  seaboard,  and  the  employment 
of  many  of  its  men  in  the  naval  service  and  in  coast 
defence,  gave  to  its  history  its  full  share  of  the  ad- 
venturous and  sometimes  tragic  element.  Some  of 
these  incidents  have  been  preserved  and  make  a  part 
of  the  history  of  the  period.  A  bit  of  local  color  is 
thrown  upon  the  dark  background  of  the  first  years 
of  the  War,  by  an  incident  related  by  M]-.  D.  L. 
Bingham,  who  heard  it  when  a  boy  from  his  grand- 
mother who  was  a  witness  of  the  event.     When  the 


84  HISTOKY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

Continental  Army  was  at  Cambridge,  recruits  were 
sometimes  landed  at  Cape  Ann  and  marched  through 
the  town  to  camp.  On  one  occasion,  three  hundred 
Virginians,  on  their  way  to  join  Washington's  com- 
mand, passed  througli  Manchester,  encamping  near 
the  site  of  the  present  Parsonage.  They  were  sup- 
plied with  food  by  the  people,  and  for  their  amuse- 
ment displayed  their  skill  with  the  tomahawk. 
Their  soldierly  appearance,  their  green  frocks,  their 
rifles  and  their  general  bearing,  representing  as  they 
did  the  patrician  blood  of  the  South,  were  well  fitted 
to  impress  a  young  girl  of  sixteen,  accustomed  to  the 
plain  accoutrements,  motley  arms  and  untrained  step 
of  the  farmers  and  fisher-folk  who  had  rallied  at  the 
sound  of  war.  The  stay  of  these  gallant  South- 
rons appears  to  have  been  too  short,  however,  for 
them  to  win  the  hearts  of  any  of  Manchester's  fair 
daughters. 

Among  the  most  serious  disasters  to  the  town  dur- 
ing the  War  was  the  loss  of  the  privateer  "  Glouces- 
ter," a  new  brig  from  the  port  for  which  she  was 
named,  which  put  to  sea  in  July,  1776,  with  a  crew 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty  men.  Shortly  after  sail- 
ing she  captured  and  sent  in  two  prizes;  after  that 
nothing  was  heard  of  her;  perfect  mystery  shrouds 
her  fate. 

"The  loss  of  this  vessel  cast  a  deep  gloom  over  Man- 
chester, and  made  widows  and  orphans  in  many  homes. 
The  surgeon  was  Dr.  Joseph  Whipple,  who  had  won  an  en- 
viable reputation  as  a  physician  in  the  town.  He  left  a 
widow  and  seven  children.  He  was  an  ardent  patriot,  a 
safe  counselor,  and  greatly  beloved  by  his  fellow-citizens, 
eighteen  of  whom  shipped  with  him,  and  with  him  sank  to 


THE    REVOLUTIONARY   EPOCH.  85 

their  eternal  rest."  Among  them  were  Daniel  Morgan, 
Daniel  Ober,  Nicholas  Babcock,  James  Pittman,  John  Allen, 

John  Carter, Tucker,  Amos   Allen,   David  Brown, 

Andrew  Brown,  Jacob  Lendall,  Simeon  Webber,  Azariah 
Allen  and  James  Morgan. 

Andrew  Leach  and  ten  others  belonging  to  the 
town,  were  also  lost  in  the  privateer  "  Barrington," 
of  Newbury  port. 

As  illustrating  the  spirit  and  readiness  in  meeting 
an  emergency  of  many  of  the  hardy  sons  of  the  ocean 
of  this  period,  the  following  incidents  in  the  lives  of 
Manchester  men,  gathered  from  different  sources, 
may  here  find  place. 

"  It  is  related  of  Captain  Daniel  Leach  who  was 
a  mate  under  Captain  Tuck  :  their  vessel  was  cap- 
tured, and  a  prize  crew  placed  on  board  to  take  her 
to  Halifax.  While  on  her  way  they  put  into  a  small 
harbor  on  the  Nova  Scotia  coast.  Captain  Tuck 
was  a  fine  conversationalist  and  of  most  excellent 
address,  and  he  so  ingratiated  himself  into  the  good 
graces  of  the  prize  captain,  that  he  was  invited  to 
accompany  that  officer  to  visit  some  of  his  British 
friends  on  shore. 

"  During  their  absence,  Leach,  who  was  on  deck, 
was  watching  the  doings  of  the  prize  crew,  who 
were  all  in  the  rigging,  making  some  repairs  and 
shaking  out  the  sails,  that  they  might  dry.  In  this, 
Leach  thought  he  saw  his  opportunity,  and  with  him 
to  see  was  to  act.  Some  of  the  prisoners  were  on 
deck,  and  soon  comprehended  the  plan.  Leach  loi- 
tered towards  the  arm-chest,  and,  seizing  an  axe, 
burst  the    cover   open;    and  this   being  the    signal 


86  HISTOEY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

agreed  upon,  the  Americans  were  quickly  armed,  and 
the  crew  in  the  rigging  were  at  their  mercy.  Leach 
and  his  former  crew  were  in  charge,  and  the  English 
crew  were  his  prisoners. 

"  After  a  pleasant  visit  on  shore,  the  prize  captain 
and  his  polite  friend  were  rowed  alongside.  Leach 
received  them  courteously,  and  surprised  the  English 
captain  by  ordering  him  below  as  his  prisoner,  and 
Captain  Tuck  was  informed  that  the  shij)  was  his 
again,  and  his  old  crew  were  awaiting  his  orders. 
Under  his  direction  the  vessel  was  taken  safely  to 
Boston." 

From  the  Salem  Register  of  July  30, 1838,  we  copy 
the  following: 

"  At  au  early  period  in  the  great  struggle  for  Independ- 
ence, Mr.  William  Kitfield,  when  only  21  years  of  age,  with 
John  Girdler,  of  this  town,  and  a  young  man  by  the  name 
of  Lawrence,  of  Gloucester,  shipped  at  Boston  with  Captain 
Smith,  of  Salem,  on  a  voyage  to  Bilboa.  On  their  return 
voyage  they  were  taken  by  a  British  ship  of  war,  and  car- 
ried to  England  and  thrown  into  prison,  from  which  they 
managed  to  escape  and  find  their  way  to  a  sea  port,  where, 
as  Englishmen,  they  shipped  on  a  vessel  bound  to  Jamaica 
and  Halifax.  While  at  the  former  place  Kitfield  proposed 
to  the  other  two  a  plan  for  taking  the  vessel  while  on  her 
way  to  Halifax.  They  agreed  to  it,  and  tbe  next  day,  while 
on  shore,  each  bought  a  sword.  When  they  were  well  to 
the  northward,  about  midnight,  when  all  three  were  in  the 
same  Avatch,  Girdler,  armed,  was  placed  at  the  cabin-door; 
Kitfield  went  to  the  second  mate,  who  was  at  the  helm,  and 
told  him  the  anchor  was  oft  the  bow.  Thus  they  got  charc^e 
of  the  deck,  and  the  officers  were  prisoners  below.  The 
crew,  being  promised  a  share  of  the  prize,  readily  joined 
them  and  assisted  in  working  the  vessel.  The  next  day 
they  ran  alongside  an  American  privateer,  and  were  taken 


THE    EEVOLTJTIONARY    EPOCH.  87 

into  Salem,  Avhere  the  vessel  was  given  up  to  the  three  dar- 
ing youngsters.  The  Captain  cried  bitterly,  and  said  he 
would  not  care  so  much  about  it  if  it  were  not  the  first  time 
he  had  been  Captain." 

"  Captain  William  Pert  was  so  unfortunate  as  to 
have  liis  ship  captured  by  an  English  cruiser  when 
he  was  quite  near  Boston.  A  prize  crew  was  put  on 
board  and  she  was  headed  for  Halifax. 

"  Among  the  cargo  of  the  captured  vessel  was  a  large 
amount  of  provisions  and  excellent  liquors.  For  the 
first  day  the  wind  was  very  light,  and  but  very  little 
progress  was  made.  The  English  officers  had  already 
discovered  the  merits  of  the  food,  and  they  ver}^  fre- 
quently refreshed  themselves  with  the  liquors.  As 
the  sun  was  setting  there  were  indications  of  more 
wind.  The  prize  officers,  not  feeling  sufficiently 
familiar  with  the  difficult  navigation  of  this  part  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  asked  Captain  Pert  to  work  the 
ship,  to  which  he  very  cheerfully  agreed.  But  occa- 
sionally he  found  time  to  go  below,  and  added  zest  to 
the  festivities  by  bringing  to  their  notice  some  untried 
varieties  of  brandies  and  wines,  which  were  greatly 
relished. 

"  The  night  set  in  very  dark  with  a  strong  breeze. 
Captain  Pert  being  pilot,  managed  to  gradually 
change  the  course  of  the  ship,  and  by  daylight  the 
following  morning,  the  bewildered  officers  found 
themselves,  with  Imd  headaches,  under  the  guns  of 
the  fort  in  Boston  Harbor,  and  that  they  were  pris- 
oners." 

The  return  of  peace  brought  great  relief  to  the  dis- 
tressed and  impoverished  people.     The  little  hamlet 


00  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

bj  the  sea  shared  to  the  full  in  the  general  joy. 
The  old  cannon  that  had  stood  in  front  of  the 
church  was  taken  in  charge  by  two  war-worn  vet- 
emns,  Benjamin  Leach  and  Joseph  Kelham,  and 
taken  to  every  part  of  the  town,  followed  no  doul^t 
by  the  inevitable  crowd  of  jubilant  youngsters,  and 
fired  off  again  and  again  as  an  expression  of  the 
popular  rejoicing  ;  powder  and  refreshments  were 
everywhere  furnished,  and  the  town  "rested  from 
war." 

As  a  few  men  from  Manchester  were  engaged  in 
putting  down  what  is  known  as  "  Shay's  Rebellion," 
a  famous  emeute  in  its  day,  and  bearing  some  resem- 
blance to  the  labor  uprisings  and  anarchical  demon- 
strations of  the  present  time,  a  brief  account  of  it  is 
here  subjoined : 

Following  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  scarcity  of 
money  and  a  derangement  of  the  business  of  the 
country  resulted  in  a  very  widespread  disaffection, 
which  assumed  the  form  in  Massachusetts  of  an 
insurrection  called  "  Shay's  Rebellion."  A  body  of 
about  1,500  insurgents,  led  by  Daniel  Shay,  assem- 
bled at  Northampton,  and  prevented  the  sitting  of 
the  courts.  In  December,  1786,  they  took  posses- 
sion of  the  court-house  at  Springfield.  In  January, 
1787,  an  army  of  4,000  men  was  raised  b}-  the  State 
to  supj^ress  the  insurrection.  The  mob  of  insurgents, 
for  it  was  nothing  more,  was  dispersed  on  its  retreat 
at  Petersham,  150  were  taken  prisoners  and  the  rest 
fled.  Among  the  men  who  were  called  into  service 
to  put  down  this  insurrection,  which  threatened  to 
become  serious,  were  eleven  men  from  Manchester. 


THE   EEVOLUTIONAEY   EPOCH.  89 

They  were  enlisted  January  17,  1787,  in  "  Capt. 
John  Howes'  Company,  Col"  Wades  Regt."  '  They 
were  discharged  Feb.  23,  1787,  their  whole  time  of 
service  being  one  month  and  fifteen  days  ;  distance 
marched  from  home,  173  miles  ;  pay.  Sergeant,  £3, 
12s.  ;  Corporal,  £S,  6s.  ;  Privates,  <£3  each.  The 
original  Roll  contains  the  names  of  61  men  ;  the 
following  men  are  credited  to  Manchester  :  Sam. 
Ayrs,  Serg^  Joseph  Badcock,  Corp.,  Samuel  Tuck, 
Jacob  Dowe,  Benj"  Craft,  Pharoch  Miller,  Emkins 
Woodbery,  Eben''  Phelps,  William  Osbon,  Eben'' 
Craft,  William  Dowe,  Privates. 

The  condition  of  things  in  Manchester  at  the 
close  of  the  War,  as  in  the  country  generally,  was 
dispiriting.  The  fishing  interest  had  been  almost 
destroyed,  the  people  were  poor  and  embarrassed  by 
debt,  and  the  general  outlook  was  far  from  cheering. 
But  the  native  pluck,  energy  and  self-reliance,  nur- 
tured by  a  century  and  more  of  hardship  and  toil, 
soon  helped  them  to  rally  from  the  depressing  in- 
fluences of  the  long  and  Avasting  contest.  With  the 
improving  condition  of  the  country,  the  revival  of 
maritime  interests,  the  opening  of  new  markets,  the 
increase  of  trade,  and  the  hopeful  feeling  that  began 
to  prevail,  the  town  entered  upon  a  new  era.  New 
fishing  stations  sprang  up,  new  vessels  were  built,  new 
warehouses,  wharves  and  "  flakes  "  appeared  where 
the  old  had  fallen  into  decay,  and  the  stir  of  pros- 
perit}'-  took  the  place  of  idleness.  The  state  of 
things    resembled     on    a    small    scale    that   which 

1  Original  Roll,  signed  by  Captain  Rowe  and  sworn  to  by  him 
before  Peter  Coffin,  Just.  Peace,  July  9,  1787.  Attest,  Daniel  W.  Low, 
Gloucester. 


90  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTEPw 

marked  the  close  of  the  English  Revolution  in 
1688,  and  the  accession  of  the  Prince  of  Orange, 
as  William  the  Third,  to  the  throne.  "  The  cheer- 
ful bustle  in  eveiy  seaport  and  every  market-town 
indicated,  not  obscurely,  the  commencement  of  a 
happier  age/' ' 

One  more  cause  of  local  trial  and  sorrow  remained 
to  throw  a  pall  over  tlie  closing  years  of  the  century. 
In  the  year  1794,  an  epidemic,  probably  a  severe 
type  of  typhus  fever,  swept  off  about  seventy  per- 
sons in  a  few  months.  Great  want  and  suffering 
ensued.  The  heart  of  one  of  Salem's  honored  mer- 
chants responded  to  the  cry  of  distress,  as  shown 
by    the    following   letter,   preserved    in    the    town 

archives. 

SALE3I,  15  April,  1795. 
Gentlemen  :  Considering  the  great  calamity  your  town 
has    suffered   by   sickness   and    death,  I    think   you  must 
have    many    who    are     objects    of    charity,     which     has 
induced  me  to  ask  your  acceptance  of  the  inclosed,  which 
request  you  will  please  distribute  to  sueh  deserving  objects 
as  have  claims  to  the  sympathy  of  the  Humane.     I  request 
no  publick  notice  to  be  taken  of  this. 
Cash  §100. 
Order  for  100  bush.  corn. 

I  am  gentlemen,  with  respect, 

your  most  obedient  servant, 

William  Gray,  Jr.^ 
To  the  Selectmen  of  the  Town  of  Manchester. 

1  Jlacaulay,  History  of  England,  cxxii. 

2  Beginning  at  the  lowest  round  of  the  ladder,  at  the  time  of  bis  death 
in  1825  Mr.  Gray  was  the  largest  ship-owner  in  America.  At  one  time  he 
owned  CO  square-rigged  vessels,  whose  sails  whitened  every  sea.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  an  early  riser,  performing  much  of  his  work  before  breakfast. 
He  was  affable  in  intercourse,  unostentatious  in  manner,  and  a  man  of 
practical  benevolence.  He  was  elected  lieutenant-governor  with  Elbridge 
Gen-j-,  in  1810.  Mr.  Gray's  old  homestead  in  Salem  afterwards  became  the 
Essex  Coffee  House,  now  the  Essex  House.  {Old  Landmarks  of  Boston,  p 
201. J 


THE   REVOLUTIONARY    EPOCH.  91 

A  picture  of  the  time  would  not  be  complete 
without  some  notice  of  its  superstitions  and  beliefs. 
In  addition  to  the  real  causes  of  fear  and  suffering, 
were  others  which  were  no  less  potent  because  they 
were  imaginary.  Our  :^orefathers  believed  in  an  all- 
surrounding  atmosphere  of  mystery,  and  lived  in  a 
kind  of  border-land  of  vagueness  and  fear.  It 
was  easy  on  a  dark  and  stormy  night  to  hear  the 
death  groan  of  a  murdered  mariner  in  the  creaking 
of  the  giant  trees  of  the  forest,'  and  the  cry  of  a 
belated  and  waylaid  traveller  in  the  lone  wolf's 
howl  or  the  trumpet  of  the  loon.  Wood  declares, 
"  Some  being  lost  in  the  woods  [at  Cape  Ann]  have 
heard  such  terrible  roarings  as  have  made  them 
much  aghast,  which  must  be  either  lyons  or  devils, 
there  being  no  other  creatures  which  used  to  roar."" 
It  required  little  stretch  of  the  imagination  to  see 
in  the  morning  mirage  ships  in  the  clouds  sailing 
against  the  wind,  or  dropping  to  pieces  in  the  air. 
Such  portents  were  familiar  in  the  daily  life  of  our 
ancestors,  and  were  seriously  chronicled.  Among 
the  alarming  occurrences  which  are  recorded  are 
comets,-  electric  storms,  earthquakes,  and  especially 
mysterious,  the  "  dark  daj^"  '  when  there  fell  "  over 
the  bloom  and  sweet  life  of  the  Spring  a  horror  of 
great  darkness,"  when  lamps  were  lighted  at  noon- 
day, and   cattle   came   home    to   the   barnyard    and 

'  History  of  Essex  County,  vol.  II,  1259. 

2  People  are  still  living  amonc:  us  who  remember  hearing  old  people 
speak  of  comets  with  fear  and  dread,  as  presaging  war  or  other  calamities ; 
and  no  wonder,  for  it  was  not  so  many  years  before  that  they  were  the 
terror  of  governments,  "  with  fear  of  change  perplexing  monarchs." 

3  May  19, 1780. 


92  HISTOKY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

fowls  went  to  roost  ;'  a  phenomenon  which  has  never 
been  satisfactorily  accounted  for,'  although  it  has 
been  partially  repeated  as  in  the  "  yellow  day "  of 
1881.  It  is  a  matter  of  interest  that  we  have  a 
reference  to  this  occurrence  in  the  life  of  an  inhabi- 
tant of  Manchester,  Edward  Lee ;  it  is  said  that 
"  when  the  darkness  came  on,  the  neighbors  all 
flocked  around  [him]  begging  his  prayers.  While 
every  face  but  his  was  pale  with  fear,  he  was  as 
happy  and  joyful  as  ever."  A  nephew,  who  was  then 
a  little  boy,  said  "he  got  as  near  his  good  uncle  as 
he  could,  and  then  thought,  if  the  judgment  day  had 
come,  he  was  safe."' 

The  town,  like  most  other  towns,  had  its 
"  witch "  in  the  last  century,  a  poor,  harmless 
imbecile,  named  Molly  Sennitt,  who  lived  in  a 
little  house,  still  remembered  b}^  some  of  the  older 
inhabitants,  near  the  site  of  Mr.  W.  H.  Tappan's 
house,  on  North  Street.  The  stor}^  is  told  of 
the  boys  of  the  period  playing  a  practical  joke  on 
the  poor  old  creature  one  night  by  slyly  depositing 
a  bag  full  of  felines  inside  her  door  aaid  "  letting  the 
cat  out  of  the  bag,"  in  a  wholesale  manner,  in  her 
domicile.  As  no  cruelty  was  intended  or  inflicted, 
it   may  be  supposed    that   the    juvenile  prank   was 

1 "  We  were  obliged  to  have  a  candle  to  eat  dinner  by  ;  it  lookt  very 
melloncaly  indeed."  Dinri/  of  Col.  Samuel  Pierce,  Dorchester,  Mass. 
See  Whittier,  Abraham  Da  vcnjjort. 

2  Elizabeth  Crafts  Wliite,  of  Brookline,  Mass.,  who  died  Oct.  7, 1839, 
a  woman  of  remarkable  character,  familiarly  known  as  "  Aunt  White," 
wrote  an  account  of  the  "  Dark  Day,"  in  which  she  gives"  various  ojiinions 
of  the  darkness  "  prevalent  at  the  time.    The  Crafts  Fainily,  p.  168. 

^  The  Apostolic  Fisherman:  A  Tale  of  the  Last  Ceiitnry.  By  an  Aged 
Relative.    Am.  S.  S.  Union,  pp.  21,  22. 


M.l  I    h  ■«  \    ih  'l  ^1-: 


(196) 


Ni:\V   TOWN    IIDISK. 


THE    REVOLrTIOXARY    EPOCH.  93 

winked  at  and  hushed  up  by  the  authorities  ;  though 
it  may  have  brought  down  in  private  some  solemn 
reprimands  from  grave  elders  upon  the  thoughtless 
offenders.  Such  escapades  were  regarded  by  many 
as  a  sort  of  safety  valve  for  the  effervescence  of 
youthful  spirit,  although  frowned  on  and  highly 
disapproved  by  the  general  moral  sentiment  of  the 
community. 

The  Revolutionary  Period,  covering  the  closing  half 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  was  a  period  of  general 
upheaval.     The  country  was  poor,  the  finances  were 
almost  hopelessly  deranged,  business  was  paralyzed, 
families  were  scattered  and  broken  up,  schools  closed 
and  meeting-houses  in  some  instances  left  to  decay. 
The  early  part  of  the  century  had  been  one  of  formal- 
ism, o-rowing  out  of  causes  which  lie  within  the  prov- 
ince of  the   ecclesiastical  historian  to  discuss  ;  the 
"  living  faith  of  the  settlers  old  "  had  almost  died  out, 
or  had  been  repudiated  by  their  descendants.     Then 
came  the   "  Great  Awakening,"    under    Whitefield, 
Edwards  and  others,  which  passed  over  the  churches 
of  New  England  like  a  thunder-storm,  clearing  the 
air,  but  leaving  uprooted  trees  and  broken  branches 
in  its  track.      It  produced  a  profound  and  lasting 
effect ;  notwithstanding  the  fanaticism   with  which 
it  was  accompanied,  it  broke  up  a  reign  of  indiffer- 
entism  and  left  a  "  result  of  holier  lives." 

"The  tide  of  spiritual  life  rolled  down 
From  inland  mountains  to  seaboard  town." 

It  reached  Ipswich,   where   Whitefield   preached  to 
assembled  thousands  on  the  hill  "  before  the  meet- 


94  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

inCT-house "  ;  it  resulted  in  the  foundation  of  a 
"  New  Light "  church  in  Chebacco  (now  Essex), 
but  the  afflatus  was  scarcely  felt  on  this  side  of  the 
Caj)e.' 

The  events  of  the  Revolution  have  been  cast  into 
the  shade  by  those  of  the  later  strife  for  Freedom. 
The  former  conflict  was  "  a  war  of  skirmishes  and 
outposts,"  as  compared  with  that  which  a  generation 
asro  shook  the  Continent  as  if  the  Titans  were  at 
war  again.  But  the  deeds  of  bravery  in  the  War 
for  the  Union  ought  not  to  make  us  forget  that  ear- 
lier struggle  for  Liberty,  marked  by  acts  of  heroism 
as  splendid  as  those  that  have  made  illustrious  our 
later  story.  The  spirit  of  the  men  who  fought  at 
Ball's  Bluff,  and  Gettysburg,  and  Lookout  Mountain, 
was  but  the  rekindling  of  that  which  has  invested  the 
names  of  Bunker  Hill,  and  Trenton,  and  Yorktown 
with  undying  glory. 

Note    A    [p.  76  ante^ 

There  should  be  something  "  read  into "  the 
record.  Tlie  bare  statement  of  the  town's  neglect 
to  fill  its  quota  needs  explanation.  The  following 
Memorial  addressed  to  "  The  Honourable  the  Coun- 
cil and  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  State  of 
the  Massachusetts  Bay,"  puts  the  matter  in  quite  a 
different  light : 

The  Petition  of  the  Inhabitants  of  the  Town  of  Man- 
chester—  Your  Petitioners  begg  Leave  humbly  to  Say  — 
We  Think  our  selves  hardly  treated  —  in  having  a  fine  of 
two  hundred  iDOunds  Piequir'd  of  us  —  as  we  take  it — For 

1  For  some  account  of  the  relations  of  Rev.  Benj.  Tappan  and  the  Man- 
chester church  to  the  "  Whitefield  movement,"  see  Appendixes  A  and  B. 


THE    REVOLUTIONARY   EPOCH.  95 

not  Complying  with  an  order  of  Court  upon  April  20, 1778: 
by  which  the  Town  was  ordered  to  Send  Five  men  to  Serve 
in  the  Continental  army  for  Xine  Months.  — For  we  assure 
your  Honours  that  we  took  Unwearied  Pains  in  Endeavours 
to  obtain  the  Five;  But  Yet  Could  procure  no  more  than 
three.  — But  though  we  would  have  furnished  the  five,  we 
yet  think  that.  If  other  Towns  had  furnished  the  Seventh 
part  of  their  Xumbers  —  First  Called  for,  the  three  we  fur- 
nished would  Have  been  our  full  Proportion,  for  Avhen  the 
Continental  Army  was  formed,  Twenty  Xine  were  a  Seventh 
Part  of  our  Xumbers:  and  that  number  we  Compleated  to 
a  Man:  and  all  of  them.  Saving  two,  are  still  in  the  Field. 

We  also  think  ourselves  hardly  treated,  in  that  so  Large 
a  Proportion  has  been  Demanded  of  us  by  a  late  act  of  the 
Court  —  for  Apportioning  and  Assessing  a  Sum  and  sums  of 
Mony  for  Defraying  publicke  Charges,  and  satisfying  Eep- 
resentatives  for  the  Expences  of  their  travell.  And  their  at- 
tandance  in  the  General  Court,  in  the  year  1778.  For,  we 
begg  Leave  to  Certifie  you,  that,  Since  we  furnished  men 
for  the  Continental  Army,  our  Xumbers  have  been  so  Di- 
minished, by  Deaths  —  Captivities  And  Eemovals  out  of 
town,  that  we  are  now,  at  Home,  But  about  half  so  many, 
as  we  were  then.  — Besides,  several  of  those  that  have  left 
the  town  were  some  of  our  more  wealthy  members  of  soci- 
ety. ^  And  the  Proportion  Demanded  of  us,  according  to 
our  Valuation  Return  is  about  the  fifteenth  Part  of  the  In- 
terest of  the  whole  town.  And  our  Internal  Charges  amount 
to  more  than  our  External.-  We  have  great  Xumbers 
of  Poor  to  relieve,  Tho^  but  a  Small  town,  j-et  we  have  four 

1  This  was  an  evil,  it  appears,  from  -n-hich  the  seaboard  towns  specially 
suffered.  A  petition  of  the  inhabitants  of  Salem,  May  27, 1778,  mentions 
among  other  "unnatural  mischiefs,"  as  "Vessels  taken,"  "fishery  de- 
stroyed by  the  Enemy,"  "stores.  Warehouses,  distilhouses,  &  wharves, 
generally  unimployed  and  useless,"  —  "  that  some  inhabitants  of  this  town 
who  have  Acquired  great  Riches,  and  who  pay  one  sixth  part  of  our  taxes, 
have  already  removed,  while  others  are  daily  removing  to  the  Country," 
etc. 

-  The  "  Want  of  Tents  "  in  the  Continental  Army  was  "  help'd  out  by  a 
Collection  of  now  usele.?s  sails  from  the  Sea  I'ort  Towns."  Washington's 
Letter  to  the  President  of  Conr/ress,  July  10,  1775. 


96  HISTORY    OF    MA^X:;HESTER. 

Score  widows  in  it,  and  far  more  Fatherless  Children.  Our 
trade  &  Commerce  is  but  very  inconsiderable.  And  De- 
mands made  for  the  IsTecessaries  of  Life,  of  which  we  are 
almost  universally  Purchasers,  are  high  to  astonishment, 
and  Continually  rising. — In  short.  There  are  many  among 
us,  who,  we  think.  Cant  be  rationally  thought  able,  at  pres- 
ent, to  Do  anything  more  towards  Defraying  publick 
Charges.  And  others  of  us  see  not  how  we  shall  be  able  to 
do  more  than  Provide  Necessaries  for  our  families,  and  re- 
leive  the  Distresses  of  the  poor,  widows  &  fatherless;  if  so 
much. 

We  therefore  pray  your  Honours  will  please  to  take  our 
Case  into  Consideration,  and  take  off  the  fine.  And  abate, 
at  Least,  a  part  of  the  Sum  Lately  Kequird  of  us  —  as  our 
Proportion  for  Defraying  the  Publick  Charges,  &c.  And 
we  shall,  as  in  duty 'bound,  Ever  Pray  &c.  — 

P  S  We  Begg  Leave  to  add  as  a  Farther  Plea,  that  we 
have  been  from  the  First,  Zealous  in  the  Common  Cause, 
and  have  Vigorously  exerted  ourselves  in  endeavours  to 
help  in  the  Deliverance  of  our  Dear  Country.  — 

Aaron  Lee  "^  A  Committee  of 

Eleaser  Craft        V  The  Town  A 
John  Allen  Jun^  )  fore  Said. 
Manchester  April  1^^'^  1779. 

This  petition  was  favorably  received,  the  fine 
was  remitted,  and  also  "  the  sum  of  forty-five 
pounds,  nineteen  shillings  and  six  pence  for  the 
travel  and  Attendance  of  their  Representative  more 
than  was  due  from  them  on  that  account."  * 

1  Acts  and  Resolves  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  vol.  v,  1044,5. 


CHAPTER    VI. 
THE     FISHERIES. 


"  Hurrah  !  the  seaward  breezes 

Sweep  clown  the  bay  amain  ; 
Heave  up,  my  lads,  the  anchor  ! 

Eun  up  the  sail  again  ! 

«  *  *  *  » 

In  the  darkness  as  in  daylight, 

On  the  water  as  on  land, 
God's  eye  is  looking  on  us, 

And  beneath  us  is  his  hand  ! 
Death  will  find  us  soon  or  later. 

On  the  deck  or  in  the  cot. 
And  we  cannot  meet  him  better 

Than  in  working  out  our  lot." 

The  Fisherman,  Whittier. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE    FISHERIES. 

PAYING     BANKS — "TO     WORSHIP    GOD     AND    CATCH   FISH  "  — 

HELPS     AND     HINDEANCES  —  SMALL   SIZE   OF  FISHING 

CKAFT  —  OFF  FOR  LABRADOR  —  "  BISKUITT  "    AND 

"barbels" — A      "  LOUEING     HOUSEBEN  " 

—  MISSING  —  INDIAN   MASSACRES  — 

WANING  DAYS  —  A  SCHOOL 

OF   PROWESS. 

THE  Banks  of  Newfoundland  had  been  visited 
long  before  the  settlement  of  America.  Fol- 
lowing the  mysterious  Basques,  the  successors 
of  the  Norsemen,  came  the  Portuguese,  the  Span- 
iards and  the  English.'  One  of  the  prominent  ob- 
jects in  view  of  the  first  comers  from  England  to 
these  shores  was  the  "catching  and  curing"  of 
fish,  for  which  there  was  a  good  market  in  the  West 
Indian  and  European  ports.^  The  fishing  business 
has  continued  to  be  one  of  the  chief  industries  of 
Eastern  Massachusetts  to  the  present.      Although 

1 "  It  is  well  knowne,  before  our  breache  with  Spaine,  we  usually  sent 
out  to  New  England  yearely  forty  or  fifty  saile  of  ships  of  reasonable  good 
burthen  for  fishing  only."    Planter's  Plea,  London,  1C30. 

^  Capt.  John  Smith  names  among  "  Staple-fish  which  is  transported, 
from  whence  it  is  taken,  many  a  thousand  mile,"  Herring,  Salt-fish,  poore 
lohn,  Sturgion,  Mullit,  Tunny,  Purgos,  Cavalre,  Buttargo.  Morton  adds 
{Neiv  English  Canaan,  c.  vii),  Codd,  Basse,  Mackarells,  Salmon,  Eeles, 
Smelts,  Shadds,  Turlmt  or  Hallibut,  Plaice,  Hakes,  Pllchers,  Lobsters, 
Clamcs,  Baser  fish,  Frccles,  Cockles  and  Scallopes.  Winthrop  mentions 
among  "  grounds  of  settling  a  plantation  in  new  England,"  "  infinite 
varietie  &,  store  of  fishes." 

99 


100  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

Cape  Anne  was  for  a  time  abandoned  as  a  fishing 
station,  it  soon  took  a  prominent  place  in  the  fishing 
interest  whicli  it  has  held  to  the  present  day. 

According  to  the  latest  statistical  Bulletin  of  the  U.  S. 
Commissioner  of  Fish  and  Fisheries,  there  are  nearly 
200,000  men  directly  engaged  in  the  United  States  fisheries, 
with  a  total  tonnage  of  176,783  tons,  and  $58,000,000  cap- 
ital invested.  The  United  States'  annual  harvest  of  the 
seas  amounts  to  $45,000,000.  ^Ye  have  .37,800  deep-sea 
fishermen,  17,000  of  whom  hail  from  Massachusetts. 
Gloucester  alone  has  a  fishing  fieet  of  more  than  400  ves- 
sels, of  30,000  tons  burden,  manned  by  6,000  men. 

In  1622,  a  royal  proclamation  gave  to  the  Massa- 
chusetts Company  the  monopoly  of  "  fishing  and 
curing  fish  on  the  shores  of  New  England."'  For  a 
century  or  more,  the  fisheries  were  a  large  means  of 
support  to  the  seaboard,  and  indirectly  to  the  whole 
colony.  There  were  good  seasons  and  poor  seasons, 
there  were  frequent  losses  of  vessels  and  men,  the 
stormy  seas  engulfed  many  a  wreck,  and  sung  their 
hoarse  requiem  above  the  grave  of  many  a  gallant 
crew.  But  vessels  were  still  fitted  out  and  manned 
from  almost  every  hamlet  and  creek,  small  boats 
were  engaged  in  in-shore  fishing,  "  flakes "  ^  were 
loaded  with  cod,  hake  and  pollock,  and  small 
schooners  and  brigs  laden  to  the  gunwale  with  the 
spoils  of  the  sea  were  despatched  from  Salem  and 
Boston  to  Virginia,  the  West  Indies  and  Southern 

1  So  named  in  1G14,  by  the  illustrious  voyager,  Capt.  John  Smith.  It 
had  before  been  called  "  North  Virginia." 

-  The  first  "  fish-flakes  "  were  probably  on  "  Gale's  Point,"  near  the 
remains  of  the  old  wharf,  and  on  the  opposite  shore,  at  "  Glass  Head," 
about  where  Dr.  Bartol's  house  now  stands.  No  date  can  be  given  for  the 
erection  of  these  "  flakes,"  but  in  1G42  Jeffrey's  Creek  was  represented  to 
the  General  Court  as  "  much  engaged  in  the  fishery." 


THE     FISHERIES.  101 

Europe,  returning  with  freights  of  bacon,  corn,  salt, 
rum,  sugar,  molasses  and  coffee. 

Our  forefathers,  we  know,  placed  a  high  value  upon 
fish  as  an  article  of  food,  assigning  it  a  place,  it  has 
been  said,  next  in  order  to  their  religious  privileges.' 
The  present  fondness  for  fish  chowders  in  the  vicinity 
would  seem  to  be  an  inheritance  from  our  ancestors  ; 
and  many  would  feel  themselves  guilty  of  an  almost 
unpardonable  disloyalty  to  their  memory,  if  they 
discarded  this  time-honored  diet. 

The  fishing  industry  was  always  encouraged  by 
the  General  Court.  In  1639  it  was  ordered  that  all 
vessels  so  employed  with  their  stock  and  fish  should 
not  be  taxed,  and  their  men  should  be  exempt  from 
military  duty.  The  great  importance  attached  to 
the  fisheries  has  been  recognized  emblematically  in 
the  "  sacred  cod  "  suspended  in  the  Hall  of  the  House 
of  Representatives  in  the  State  House  in  Boston.  A 
communication  to  a  Boston  paper  during  this  current 
year,  is  of  special  interest  in  this  connection.' 

The  business  at  last  increased  to  such  an  extent 
and  became  such  a  source  of  revenue,  that  it  aroused 

1  Winslow  says  that  when  the  delegates  of  the  Dorchester  Company 
called  upon  King  James  for  a  Charter,  his  Majesty  asked,  "  AVhy  do  you 
wish  to  go  to  that  far-off  land  ?  "  The  answer  was  ready,  "  Sire,  we  desire 
to  worship  God  and  catch  fish." 

2  The  codfish  now  in  the  hall  of  the  House  of  Representatives  was  carved 
by  John  Welch,  a  jtrominent  patriot  and  one  of  the  signers  of  the  famous 
remonstrance  against  the  stamp  act.  It  was  done  at  the  instance  of  Mr. 
John  Rowe,  another  eminent  patriot,  who  on  ]Mar.  17,  1784,  moved  the 
general  court  that  such  an  emblem  ought  to  be  exhibited  as  a  memorial  of 
the  importance  of  the  fisheries  to  the  welfare  of  the  Commonwealth  and 
also  with  the  object  of  replacing  a  former  codfish  which  was  hung  up  in 
the  old  state  House  (built  in  1712  and  burned  in  1747),  as  a  reminder  of  the 
greatest  source  of  colonial  prosperity  in  those  days.  H.  P.  Arnold,  in  the 
Adveriisor. 


102  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTEK. 

the  jealousy  of  the  home  government.'     As  early  as 
1670,  an  English  writer  declared  : 

"  New  England  is  the  most  prejudicial  plantation  to  this 
kingdom  of  all  American  plantations.  His  Majesty  has 
none  so  apt  for  the  building  of  shipping  as  New  England, 
nor  any  so  qualified  for  the  breeding  of  seamen,  not  only  by 
reason  of  the  natural  industry  of  that  people,  but  principally 
by  reason  of  their  cod  and  mackerel  fisheries,  and  in  my  poor 
opinion  there  is  nothing  moi'e  prejudicial,  and  in  jDrospect 
more  dangerous,  than  the  increase  of  shipping  in  her  colo- 
nies and  plantations." 

It  is  evident  that  there  was  a  fear  thus  early  —  a 
fear  which  events  proved  to  be  well-grounded  —  that 
the  fislieries  would  becoine  a  breeding  ground  of 
maritime  supremacy  if  not  of  independence.  Eng- 
land's restrictive  policy  manifested  itself  in  an  Act 
of  Parliament  in  1775,  forbidding  Americans  from 
taking  fish  in  Canadian  waters ;  this  act,  with 
others  intended  to  cripple  the  marine  power  of  tlie 
colonies,  did  much  to  embitter  the  colonists  and  to 
hasten  the  Revolution. 

Wliatever  may  be  thought  of  the  justice  or  wis- 
dom of  the  policy  of  the  mother  country,  no  doubt 
her  lawmakers  were  riglit  in  regarding  the  fislieries 
as  a  school  of  manliness  and  prowess,  and  a  source  of 
growing  power  on  the  seas.  It  has  well  been  said 
of  the  fishermen  of  New  England  : 

"  During  the  whole  period  of  our  colonial  vassalage,  they 

were  ever  among  the  foremost  to  enter  the  ships  and  armies 

furnished  by  the  colonies  to  aid  England  in  her  struggles 

with  France;  they  were  engaged  in  every  strife  in  French 

•Speaking  of  the  codfish,  John  Adams  said,  "They  were  to  us  what 
wool  was  to  England  and  tobacco  to  Virginia,  the  great  staple  which  be- 
came the  basis  of  jiower  and  wealth." 


THE    FISHERIES.  103 

Amei'ica;  they  lie  buried  in  every  battle-ground  in  Canada 
and  Nova  Scotia,  and  their  remains  have  been  committed 
to  every  sea.  In  the  Revolution,  Salem  and  Beverly  alone 
despatched  fifty-two  vessels  as  privateers,  with  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  guns,  and  during  the  War  they  captured  and 
destroyed  British  shipping  to  the  amount  of  200,000 
tons."  1 

Perhaps  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  "  It  is  more 
than  doubtful  whether  we  to-day  would  be  a  nation 
had  not  Colonel  Glover  with  his  Essex  County  fish- 
ermen twice  saved  Washington's  army."  ^  A  high 
authority  on  the  second  war  with  England  (1812) 
says  :  "  I  regard  it  as  strictly  true  that  without  our 
fishermen  we  could  hardly  have  manned  a  frigate  or 
captured  one.  From  the  beginning  of  the  war  to 
its  end,  the  fishermen  were  in  almost  every  national 
or  private  armed  ship  that  carried  our  flag."  ^ 

Our  fisheries  proved  a  school  for  times  of  peace, 
too,  as  well  as  war.  They  trained  a  class  of  seamen 
and  master  mariners  who  made  the  name  of  Man- 
chester known  all  over  the  world. ^  At  one  time  the 
town    is    said   to    have    had    more   captains    in    the 

1  Hon.  William  Cogswell,  M.  C,  in  Boston  Herald,  Sept.  1, 1887. 

2  The  Fisherman,  Gloucester,  January,  1895.  The  reference  is  to  the 
retreat  from  Long  Island,  and  the  crossing  of  the  Delaware  on  the  eve  of 
the  battle  of  Trenton.  Irving,  Life  of  Washingtoa,  ii,  316,  3-19.  "  Colonel 
Glover,  with  his  amphibious  regiment  of  Marblehead  fishermen  was  in 
advance,  the  same  who  had  navigated  the  army  across  the  Sound,"  etc. 

3  Quoted  in  article  in  Boston  Herald,  Sept.  1, 1887. 

*  In  1810,  there  were  fifty  masters  of  merchant  vessels  who  were  citi- 
zens of  Manchester.  See  Appendix  L  for  a  list  furnished  by  Dea.  John 
Price  of  ninety-one  Manchester  captains  of  vessels  employed  at  one  time 
and  another  in  the  foreign  trade.  The  seamen  of  that  day  must  have 
had  brains  and  daring,  for  they  had  often  scanty  external  helps  in  working 
their  observationSi  or  inlaying  their  course.  Even  after  1800,  a  youth  of 
nineteen  sailed  a  ship  from  Calcutta  to  Boston  with  no  chart  whatever  ex- 
cei)t  a  small  map  of  the  world  in  Guthrie's  Geography.  Hunt's  American 
Merchant, \o\.l,  136. 


104  HlSTOliY    OF    MANCHESTEPw    " 

merchant   service    than    any   other  town    in    Essex 
County. 

A  shore  like  that  of  our  eastern  seaboard,  which 
abounds  in  inlets  or  is  fringed  with  islands,  is  almost 
sure  to  develop  the  spirit  of  maritime  enterprise.' 
The  coastline  of  our  own  neighborhood,  with  its  re- 
ceding coves  and  projecting  headlands,  naturally 
made  the  ocean  the  home  and  the  field  of  labor  and  sus- 
tenance of  many  of  the  inhabitants.  It  shaped  to  a 
large  extent  the  daily  life.  They  were  a  sort  of  am- 
phibious race,  as  much  at  home  on  the  water  as  on 
the  land.  The  tilling  of  the  soil  and  the  reaping  of 
the  sea  went  on  together;  boats  and  seines  found 
their  place  in  the  garden-plot  and  on  the  barnyard 
wall ;  dried  fish  and  potatoes  were  a  common  staple 
of  food ;  the  same  hands  that  framed  the  humble 
dwellings  and  held  the  plough  and  swung  the  scythe, 
were  skilled  to  reef  the  sail,  to  man  the  boats  and 
to  haul  the  lines.  The  life  of  the  village  was  largely 
maritime.  Few  young  men  reached  their  majority, 
but  had  stood  their  watch  on  the  slippery  deck,  or 
heard  the  midnight  boom  of  the  breakers  on  the  spec- 
tral cliffs  of  La  Bradore.  Some  of  them  were  re- 
markable men.* 

The  vessels  at  first  employed  in  the  fishing  ser- 
vice were  of  small  size  and  often  without  decks. 
They  were  in  some  instances  of  less  than  twenty 
tons.  In  1696,  Samuel  Allen  had  one  of  twelve 
tons  ;  Aaron  Bennett  one  of  nine  tons  ;  William 
Hassam  one  of  thirteen  tons.     The  diminutive  size 

1  Features  of  Coasts  and  Ocea?is,  Professor  N.  S.  Shaler.  The  Earth 
and  Man,  Avnold  Guyot,  244. 

2  Firfc  Appendix  K. 


THE    FISHERIES.  105 

of  these  vessels  is  less  to  be  wondered  at  when  we 
remember  tliat  the  ships  of  the  earl}^  voj'agers  to  the 
New  Woi'ld  were  little  more  than  ketches  or  shallops. 
Frobisher  sailed  in  a  vessel  of  twenty-five  tons ;  Car- 
tier  made  his  voyage  of  discovery  (153-1)  in  two 
vessels  of  sixty  tons  each  ;  two  of  the  caravels  of 
Columbus  were  without  decks ;  it  was  in  a  bark  of 
ten  tons  that  Sir  Humphrey  Gilbert  faced  the  stormy 
seas,  to  be  lost  on  his  home  voyage ;  the  "  Half- 
Moon,"  in  which  Hendrik  Hudson  discovered  the 
river  wliich  bears  his  name,  was  a  "  fly-boat,"  or 
yacht,  of  eighty  tons. 

As  late  as  the  clo^e  of  the  last  century,  we  are 
told,  "the  average  tonnage  of  vessels  engaged  in  the 
fisheries  was  but  twenty  tons,  and  they  were  ex- 
tremely uncomfortable  ;  the  fire  was  made  on  a 
brick  hearth  on  the  floor  directly  beneath  the  com- 
panion way,  up  which  the  smoke  was  expected  to 
pass,  and  the  only  way  to  and  from  the  cabin  was 
throuo'h  the  smoke  and  fire."  The  "-  Chebacco 
boats  "  were  generally  of  from  twelve  to  twenty  tons, 
and  valued  at  from '^100  to  $300.  They  were  sharp  at 
l)oth  ends,  and  had  two  masts  but  no  bowsprit. 
These  were  called  "•  pinkies."  Later  the  pointed 
bow  was  shaved  off  and  a  bowsprit  and  jib  were 
added,  and  the  vessel,  retaining  its  pink  stern,  was 
then  called  a  "  jigger." 

In  1718,  Capt.  Andrew  Robinson  launched  a  ves- 
sel at  Gloucester,  whose  rig  was  that  which  now  be- 
longs to  a  schooner.  The  "  Grand  Bankers  "  were 
schooner-rigged,  with  square  bows  and  high  stern. 
They  sailed  well  before   the   wind,  but  they  were 


106  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

awkward  vessels  to  handle.'  They  could  hardly  have 
competed  witli  "  Ailsa  "  and  Valkyrie  III,  but  they 
were  safe  sea-boats  and  of  large  carrying  capacity  for 
their  water  displacement ;  they  were  built  to  ride 
the  waves,  rather  than  like  a  modern  "clipper"  or 
"  ocean  greyhound,"  to  cut  their  way  through  them. 
They  required  skill  for  their  management  in  a  Sep- 
tember gale,  when  the  jagged  reefs  showed  their 
teeth  on  the  lee  bow. 

It  was  in  such  vessels,  presenting  almost  the 
greatest  possible  contrast  to  the  beautiful,  shapely, 
clipper-like  craft  launched  to-day  in  the  Essex  ship- 
yards, that  our  forefathers  sailed  for  "  Georges," 
Meccatina,  Red  Island  and  Bradoi-,  the  home  of  the 
murre  and  gannet,  daring  the  unknown  currents,  the 
sunken  reefs,  the  white  squall  and  the  frozen  mist, 
when  spring  gales  and  autumn  tempests  lashed  the 
sea  into  wild  and  terrific  billows,  that  with  w-et 
hands  they  might  light  the  hearth  and  spread  the 
board  at  home.^ 

One  of  the  famous  vessels  of  the  day  was  the 
schooner  "  Manchester,"  Allen,  master,  which  was 
used  in  the  Virginia  trade.  A  model  of  this  vessel 
was  on  exhibition  at  the  Centennial  Exposition,  and 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Geo.  J.  Marsh  of  the 
Cape  Ann  Savings  Bank,  Gloucester.     She  was  of 

1  The  origin  of  the  name  has  been  thus  explained:  "Oh,  how  she 
scoons,"  said  a  bystander,  as  she  slipped  down  the  ways;  "a  schooner 
let  her  be,"  replied  the  builder.  Harper's  J/«i/«s/h<;%  September,  1875,  p. 
469. 

2  "  Wild  are  the  waves  which  lash  the  reefs  along  St.  George's  bank  — 
Cold  on  the  shore  of  Labrador,  the  fog  lies  white  and  dank  ; 
Through  storm,  and  wave,  and  blinding  mist,  stout  are  the  hearts  which 

man 
The  fishing-smacks  of  Marblehead,  the  sea-boats  of  Cape  Ann." 


THE    FISHERIES.  107 

sixty-five  tons,  and  was  built  in  Duxbuiy,  Mass.,  in 
1784 ;  she  was  afloat  nearly  a  hundred  years,  having 
been  in  the  port  of  Gloucester  in  1878.  There  was 
another  schooner  "  Manchester "  built  in  Essex  in 
1845,  of  sixt3^-four  tons;  her  first  master  was  Ben- 
jamin Morgan. 

A  survivor '  of  the  time  when  the  fishing  business 
was  the  business  of  the  town  thus  narrates  some  in- 
cidents of  his  early  experience. 

"  When  thirteen  years  of  age  I  was  put  into  the  busi- 
ness; two  3'ears  later  I  sailed  on  the  'Richmond,'  Abrani 
Stone,  master,  bound  for  tlie  'Straits.'"  [There  follows 
an  account  of  several  weeks'  fishing  on  the  coast  of 
Labrador.]  "  September  began  with  stormy  weather.  On 
the  loth  we  sailed  for  home,  encountering  the  line  gale  off 
Cape  Breton.  The  strong  current  rushing  from  the  gulf 
raised  a  sharp  and  dangerous  sea.  At  the  height  of  the 
gale  the  wind  would  lull  suddenly,  the  vessel  falling  into 
the  trough  of  the  sea,  the  waves  breaking  twenty  feet 
above  the  deck.  When  the  gale  subsided,  one  boat  with 
the  davits  had  gone  from  the  stern,  and  three  boats  stowed 
on  deck  were  stove.  Cape  Ray  was  sighted,  and  stretching 
out  to  clear  the  land,  the  night  being  cloudy  and  dark,  a 
timber-ship  crashed  upon  us,  striking  abaft  the  main  chains, 
knocking  down  the  mainsail  and  knocking  the  captain 
overboard,  who  was  saved  by  the  sail  hanging  from  the 
side.  By  running  up  the  rigging,  three  of  the  crew  boarded 
the  ship  before  the  vessels  separated.  The  next  day  we 
were  in  tow  for  Miramichi.  The  schooner  was  cast  off  out- 
side the  bar.  We  landed  at  a  small  village  Avith  a  tavern, 
and  walked  down  the  river  bank  to  join  the  schooner. 
Needed  repairs  being  made,  we  were  again  on  our  passage. 
Beating  around  the  eastern  point  of  Prince  Edward  Island, 
the  vessel  struck  on  a  reef.  The  tide  was  at  ebb;  as  the 
tide  went  down,  the  decks  went  up,  which  looked  much  like 

1  Dea.  A.  E.  Low. 


108  HISTOKY    or    MAKCHESTEE. 

the  end  of  the  voyage;  but  when  the  tide  turned  the  wind 
changed  with  a  strong  breeze  off  the  shore.  Again  afloat, 
we  passed  through  tlie  Straits  of  Canso  witli  a  fine  leading 
breeze,  under  the  foretopsail.  Clearing  the  Straits  we  made 
sail  and  were  six  days  to  Cape  Ann." 

The  following  from  an  old  record  will  give  an 
idea  of  a  fisherman's  fare  of  the  middle  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century. 

In  an  "  agrement  maid  the  Second  Day  of  May  anno  Domi 
1767,  between  Nath'l  Allen  Esq.  of  Gloucester  and  John 
Tuck  Sen.  of  Manchester,  Housewright,"  the  party  of  the 
first  part  covenanted  and  promised  to  find  for  John  Tuck,  a 
"miner,"  for  a  fishing  voyage.  "  Boots,  Barbel, ^  Hooker, 
Leads,  Lines;  sixty  pound  good  Porke  a  faire,  and  three 
gallons  Bum,  three  gallons  Molasses,  seven  pounds  Shugar, 
eighty  four  pounds  of  Biskuitt,  twenty  eight  pounds  Flower, 
one  bushell  of  Indian  Meele,  six  pounds  of  Butter,  share  of 
wood  a  faire,  and  small  jenerail."^ 

Josselyn  gives  the  following  list  of  "  vtensils  of  the  sea" 
—  "  quoils  of  rope  and  cable,  rondes  of  twine,  herring  nets, 
scans,  cod-lines  and  cod-hookes,  mackrill-lines,drails,  spiller 
hooks,  mussel-hooks,  barbels,  splitting  knives,  basse-nettes, 
pues  and  gaffs,  squid  lines,  yeele  pots,"  etc. 

The  following  letter,  an  exact  transcript  of  the 
original  in  the  possession  of  Benjamin  Hilton  Russell 
of  Haverhill,  a  descendant  of  the  writer,  will  serve 
as  a  sample  of  the  epistolary  style  of  the  period. 
The  autograph  copy  is  written  in  a  large,  round 
hand  on  heavy  paper,  bearing  the  "  Pine  Tree  "  water- 
mark, and  with  ink  which  still  retains  its  color. 
St.  Eustatia^  Januery  IS  Day  1770. 

Kind  and  Louing  Weif  I  embreass  this  optunety  to  Kit 
to  you  to  Let  you  know  of  my  halth  and  I  hoop  these  few 

1  Apron.  2  Stores. 

3  St.  Eustatius,  one  of  the  smaller  islands  of  the  Lesser  Antilles. 


THE    FISHERIES;  109 

Lines  will  find  you  in  as  Good  halth  as  tha  Leue  me  in  att 
this  pressent  tini  thanks  be  to  god  for  it  ^ve  are  all  will  on 
Bord  and  after  a  pessage  of  22  Days  we  arifed  Safe  to  the 
Island  of  Berbadous  ^  and  Landed  our  Cargo  In  Six  Days 
time  and  then  Set  Sail  for  this  pleas  called  St.  Eustatia  and 
our  Captin  tokes  of  meaking  sail  of  the  Shooner  But  wear^ 
he  will  or  not  I  Can't  tell  But  if  he  Dount  Sill  her  we  Shall 
Sail  for  St  Meartius  "  and  Lod  with  Salt  and  then  meak  the 
Beast  of  our  weay  houm  and  I  am  in  hopes  to  Be  atouem 
by  the  first  of  march  if  Xothing  hapenes  to  us  more  than 
we  know  of  but  if  he  selles  the  Shooner  I  Dont  know  wear 
we  Shall  be  atouem  So  Soun  or  Xo  and  So  Xo  more  at 
preasent  but  I  remain  your  Loueing  houseben  till  Death 
pearts  ^  Benjamin  Hilton. 

Remember  my  kind  Loue  to  moueather  and  Brouthers 
and  Sisters. 

and  So  you  must  Excuse  theas  pouer  Lines  for  I  hant 
time  to  Bit  as  I  would  be  glead  to  Bit  to  you  this  Coumes 
by  wea  of 

Cape  ann. 

All  along  through  the  history  of  the  fishing  enterprise 
we  have  frequent  records  of  men  who  were  lost  at  sea; 
in  several  instances  whole  crews  disappeared  at  once, 
the  vessels  going  down  with  all  on  board.  It  is  a 
pathetic  and  harrowing  tale.  In  the  very  first  years 
of  the  settlement  four  men  were  drowned  while  fish- 
ing from  a  boat  at  Kettle  Cove,  and  thus  the  record 
goes  on.  A  few  instances  will  here  suffice.^  ^x 
uno  disce  omnes.  In  1758,  there  went  down  in  one 
vessel  John  Day,  John  Driver,  Richard  Leach,  John 
Lee  and  Samuel  Morgan.     In  1756,  Ambrose  Allen, 

1  Barbadoes.  -  Whether.  3  gt.  Martins. 

*  Here  is  a  cabalistic  sijjn  which  cannot  be  represented  in  type. 

5  A  full  list  of  those  lost  at  sea,  so  far  as  it  is  jiossible  now  to  recover 
the  names,  is  given  in  Appendix  L. 


110  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Moses  Trask,  Jacob  Lee,  Daniel  Davidson,  William 
Ireland,  John  Ayres,  were  lost  coming  from  Lisbon. 
Li  1764,  Benjamin  Andrews,  Charles  Leach  and 
Daniel  Foster  were  lost  on  the  return  voyage  from 
the  West  Indies.  In  1772,  Capt.  Daniel  Edwards, 
Samuel  Edwards,  Benjamin  Hill,  Samuel  Perry  and 
Frank  Silva  were  lost  coming  from  the  West  Indies. 
In  1766,  no  less  than  ten  were  lost  at  sea.  In  Sep- 
tember, 1843,  the  schooner  "Vesper,"  of  about  sixty 
tons,  owned  by  Jacob  Cheever  and  his  two  sons,  was 
lost  with  the  whole  crew,  Capt.  John  Cheever,  Rufus 
Cheever,  Hilliard  Morse,  David  Hall,  Nathaniel 
Morgan  and  Merritt  Lennon,  all  but  the  captain 
married  men  and  fathers.'  Nothing  was  ever  known 
of  their  fate.  When  last  spoken  they  had  a  full 
fare  and  were  bound  for  home.  "  The  waves  closed 
over  them,  and  no  one  could  tell  the  story  of  their 
end."  No  complete  record  exists  of  the  losses  of  the 
fishing  fleet.  But  some  idea  may  be  had  of  the 
extent  to  which  the  town  suffered  in  the  loss  of  its 
bread-winners,  from  the  fact  that  from  1745  to  1774, 
the  sea  had  engulfed  no  less  than  ninety  men  of  the 
inhabitants  of  this  little  town.' 

Among  the  strange  experiences  of  Manchester 
men  was  that  on  board  the  "  Troubadour,"  Sept.  17, 
1846,  on  the  Banks,  in  a  heavy  sea,  which  washed 
overboard  Samuel  Carter  and  Thomas  Dow,  the  next 
wave  sweeping  Mr.  Dow  back  again  on  deck  ;  the 
old  fisherman  still  living  to  ply  his  vocation  as  hale 

'  Of  those  who  were  thus  left -widows,  two,  Mrs.  Morse  and  Mrs.  Lennon 
survive. 

2  Entry  by  Rev.  Benjamin  Tappan  in  Church  Records.  This  number 
inphides  those  lost  in  coasting'  and  foreign  voyages. 


THE     FISHERIES.  Ill 

and  hearty  apparently  as  many  a  man  who  has  not 
seen  half  his  years  or  endured  half  his  hardships. 

The  loss  of  two  vessels,  the  "  Blooming  Youth  " 
and  "  Senator,"  in  May,  1840,  on  the  reefs  of  Sable 
Island,  is  an  event  still  remembered  and  talked  of 
by  the  older  inhabitants.  The  site  of  the  disaster  is 
a  well  known  grave  of  vessels  off  the  Nova  Scotia 
coast.  "  The  whole  region  for  miles  around  is  a 
trap  and  a  snare.  .  .  .  Between  the  years  1806  and 
1827,  forty  vessels,  and  it  is  supposed  many  men, 
were  lost."  '  The  men  of  the  "  Blooming  Youth  " 
succeeded  in  getting  ashore  in  the  surf,  and  saved 
most  of  their  stores,  but  the  vessel  was  a  total  loss. 
The  last  survivor,  Mr.  Allen  Lee,  is  living  in  town 
at  the  age  of  eighty-two  years.  Mr.  Lee  was  born 
May  1,  1813,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  began  his 
seafaring  life  in  a  voyage  to  South  America.  He 
followed  the  sea  for  seven  years  until  his  marriage 
in  1837,  and  often  went  on  fishing  voyages  after- 
ward. His  life  brought  him  into  contact  with 
Spaniards,  slaves  and  pirates  of  whom  he  has  many 
interesting  and  thrilling  incidents  to  narrate. 

The  "  Blooming  Youth  "  was  built  in  Essex  and 
was  a  vessel  of  about  seventy  tons.  She  was  owned 
by  Capt.  Israel  D.  Goodridge,  Dean  Babcock  and 
Benjamin  Morse.  She  had  also  as  crew,  Mr.  Lee, 
and  a  boy,  Benjamin  Bennett.  After  they  escaped 
to  land,  they  were  kindly  cared  for  by  the  "  chief 
man  of  the  island,"  called  "  Governor "  Derby,  an 
old  English  naval  officer.  They  remained  on  the 
island  twenty-four  days,  when  they  obtained  passage 

1  Harper's  Magazine,  December,  18CG. 


THE    FISHERIES.  113 

to  Halifax,  and  were  sent  by  the  British  consul  to 
Boston.  The  crew  of  the  "  Senator,"  Capt.  James 
Pert,  were  taken  off  by  Cape  Cod  fishermen,  and  the 
vessel  bought  by  them  for  a  song.  She  was  new  and 
staunch,  and  may  be  afloat  still. 

Nor  were  the  hidden  rocks  and  angry  waves  the 
only  enemies  encountered.  In  addition  to  "perils 
of  waters,"  were  "perils  of  the  heathen."  In 
August,  1747,  as  tradition  runs,  a  schooner's  crew 
from  Manchester  landed  on  the  coast  of  Maine  near 
Sheepscot,  to  procure  wood  and  water,  when  they 
were  captured  by  Indians,  and  as  afterward  proved 
all  but  one  massacred.'  The  survivor,  a  lad  of 
twelve,  named  Aaron  Lee,  was  held  in  captivity 
three  years,  until  finding  an  opportunity  to  escape, 
he  made  his  way  home  after  incredible  hardships, 
and  appeared  to  his  grief-stricken  parents  who  had 
long  mourned  his  cruel  death,  as  one  raised  from 
the  dead.^  Mr.  Lee  lived  to  old  age,  and  was  for 
many  years  Town  Clerk.  The  records  show  him  to 
have  been  an  excellent  penman. 

In  1758,  Capt.  Samuel  Leach,  Josiah  Allen,  Sen., 
Benjamin  Crowell,^  Robert  Bear,  Nath.  Marsters  and 
James  Allen  were  surprised  and  slain  by  Indians  at 

1  "  We  hear  that  a  few  days  ago,  the  Indians  surpriz'd  and  kill'd  at  a 
Place  call'd  Wiscasset  near  Sheepscot  in  the  Eastern  Parts,  one  Mr.  Hil- 
ton, his  Son,  and  another  Man,  and  carried  another  Captive."  Boston 
Gazette,  Aug.  11,  1747.  This  could  not  have  been  Capt.  Amos  Hilton,  as  Dr. 
Leach  and  others  have  supposed,  as  he  had  been  dead  almost  three  years 
when  this  event  occurred.  Capt.  Amos  Hilton  was,  however,  killed  by 
Indians,  but  not  at  the  time  supposed. 

2  Some  particulars  of  his  remarkable  escape,  as  told  by  his  grand- 
daughter to  Dea.  A.  E.  Low,  may  be  found  in  Mr.  Tappau's  narrative. 
History  of  Essex  County. 

5  Dr.  Leach  gives  the  name  Jacob  Crowell. 


114  HISTOEY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Casco  Bay.  Capt.  Leach  was  a  man  noted  for  his 
bravery  and  great  muscular  strength.  It  is  said  that 
he  could  jump  from  one  hogshead  into  another  as 
they  stood  in  line  on  the  Town  Landing.  He  had 
several  hand-to-hand  conflicts  with  Indians,  and  had 
declared  that  he  would  never  be  taken  alive. 

Another  peril  and  terror  of  the  seas  was  piracy; 
the  black  flag  and  cross-bones  had  not  disaj)peared 
from  the  Caribbean  seas,  in  the  early  part  of  this 
century.'  A  brief  and  tragic  record  reads,  "  Capt. 
William  Babcock  was  murdered  at  sea  by  pirates  in 
1823."  These  dreaded  outlaws  infested  the  Spanish 
main,  and  in  their  long,  low,  rakish  schooners  shot 
out  from  the  keys  and  reefs,  swooped  upon  merchant 
vessels,  plundered  and  murdered,  and  slipped  back 
to  their  coverts.  Such  incidents  of  adventure  and 
peril  formed  a  large  part  of  the  staple  of  "  fo'  cas'le 
yarns  "  a  generation  ago. 

The  fishing  business  was  at  its  best  in  the  early 
part  of  this  century.  It  never  fully  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  the  war  of  1812,  which  drove  our  ship- 
ping from  the  ocean  and  left  it  to  rot  dismantled  in 
coves  and  creeks,  a  melancholy  monument  to  a  j)ar- 
alyzed  industry.  The  Assessors'  Books  for  1808 
and  1811  show  that  Capt.  Ezekiel  Leach  owned  the 
*'  Jane,"  fifty-four  tons,  and  the  "  Active,"  ninety- 
nine  tons.  Tyler  Parsons  owned  one-third  of  the 
"  Enterprise,"  ninety-nine  tons.  Benjamin  and 
Samuel  Forster  owned  a  schooner  of  sixty  tons. 
Maj.    Henry    Story  owned  the   "  Three    Brothers," 

1  Vide  the  Official  Statement  of  the  attack  upon  the  brig  "  Mexican  "  of 
Salem  by  pirates,  and  their  barbarous  treatment  of  the  crew,  four  of  whom 
are  still  living  (1894) ;  Salem  Gazette,  Oct.  16,  1832. 


THE   FISHERIES.  115 

seventy-four  tons.  Ebenezer  Tappan  owned  the 
sloop  '■'■  Primrose,"  twenty-nine  tons,  and  the  schooner 
"  Nancy,"  sixty-eight  tons.  (This  was  the  vessel 
run  ashore  at  Mingo's  Beach,  and  fired,  by  the 
British,  in  1813.)  Capt.  Abiel  Burgess  owned 
and  commanded  the  brig  "  Alonzo,"  130  tons. 
This  vessel  once  came  to  the  Town  Landing, 
and  as  the  first  square-rigged  and  the  largest 
vessel  that  had  ever  been  there,  excited  a  good 
deal  of  interest.  Captain  Burgess  was  also  taxed 
in  1811,  for  one-half  of  the  ship  "  Hannibal "  ; 
like  the  "  Alonzo,"  she  was  employed  in  the  foreign 
trade. 

After  1825,  the  fishing  business  greatly  declined, 
and  few  vessels  were  built  for  the  trade.  In  1835, 
the  fishing  and  coasting  business  of  the  town  em- 
ployed about  1,200  tons.  In  1836,  there  were  150 
men  engaged  in  the  fisheries,  seven  fish  yards,  and 
ten  houses  for  storage.'  In  1845,  there  were  thir- 
teen vessels  in  the  cod  and  mackerel  fisheries,*  and 
the  value  of  the  catch  was  -"§21,435. 

In  an  address  on  "  The  Gloucester  Fishermen  of 
Fifty  Years  Ago,"  Hon.  Wm.  H.  AVonson,  3d,  of 
Gloucester,  said  : 

"They  fitted  away  generally  in  March.  The  first  trip 
was  just  off  Point  Ledge,  where  a  fare  of  haddock  would  be 
secured  and  run  to  Boston.     This  would  be  secured  with  a 

1  -Essex  Memorial,  1836,  p.  162. 

2  The  mackerel  have  of  late  years  almost  deserted  our  shores.  Air. 
Frank  Bolles,  Land  of  the  Lingering  Snow,  p.  85,  suggests  an  explanation  : 
"  Forests  of  poles  rising  from  the  blue  water,  marking  the  fish-traps  of  the 
deluded  fishermen,  whose  mackerel  fleet  has  been  swept  from  the  sea  by 
this  sunken  fleet  of  seine  poles."  Some  old  fishermen  agree  in  opinion 
with  the  scholarly  Secretary  of  Harvard  University. 


116  HISTOKY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

clam  bait.  Then  an  alewife  baiting  would  be  taken  and  a 
trip  made  farther  off  shore.  .  .  .  The  vessel  generally  car- 
ried six  men  and  a  cook,  almost  without  exception  a  boy 
ten  or  twelve  years  old.  The  cooking  utensils  were  a 
Dutch  oven,  iron  pot  and  iron  teakettle.  The  expenses, 
including  salt  and  stores,  lines,  etc.,  would  be  about  $2Q0, 
At  that  time  those  engaged  in  fishing  were  nearly  all 
natives."  ^ 

About  this  time  the  increasing  cabinet  business 
withdrew  most  of  the  inhabitants  from  a  seafaring 
life,  and  became  for  many  years  the  leading  industry. 
Fish  houses  were  left  to  decay,  or  were  converted 
into  storehouses  or  barns  ;  flakes  rotted  to  the 
ground ;  ship-building  and  boat-building  ceased  ; 
and  the  sea-gulls  and  fish-hawks  wheeling  over  Town 
Hill  heard  the  buzz  of  the  saw  and  the  whir 
of  the  lathe  in  place  of  the  creaking  of  the  windlass 
and  the  rattle  of  blocks  on  the  "  outward  bound." 
One  or  two  small  vessels,'  a  few  dories  and  fish-traps, 
alone  remain  to  represent  the  earliest  industry  of 
the  town,  and  its  leading  industry  for  more  than  a 
hundred  years. 

The  hazards,  exploits  and  hardships  of  the  fisheries 
have  never  been  fully  written.  Poets  have  woven 
them  into  their  verse,^  sermons  have  been  preached 
upon  them,  the  columns  of  newspapers  have  been 
full  of  them  ;  but  they  will  never  be  known  in  all 

1  The  Fisherman,  Gloucester,  March,  1895. 

2  Owned  by  the  Jones  Brothers. 

8  "  Ah  !  many  a  lonely  home  is  found 

Along  the  Essex  shore. 
That  cheered  the  goodman  outward  hound. 
And  sees  his  face  no  more." 

O.  W.  Holmes. 


THE   FISHERIES.  117 

their  extent  of  loss  and  suffering  until  the  sea  shall 
give  up  its  dead. 

With  all  its  dangers  and  sorrows,  however,  the 
sea  which  has  always  been  the  grave  of  so  many  lives 
and  so  many  hopes,  has  been  a  nurse  of  courage  and 
hardihood  from  the  first  voyage  of  the  Phcenicians 
along  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  to  the  latest 
voyage  of  exploration  to  the  Arctic  seas.  It  has 
trained  a  class  of  men  to  deeds  of  heroic  valor  and 
brave  endurance,  surpassing  any  that  the  annals  of 
war  can  furnish.  The  inhabitants  of  Manchester, 
no  doubt,  in  a  former  age,  have  owed  much  of  their 
pluck,  their  persistence,  their  success  in  life,  to  the 
ocean  with  whose  waves  they  sported  from  child- 
hood, and  which  presented  at  their  very  doors  a  field 
for  their  skill  and  an  arena  for  their  prowess. 

If  the  history  of  its  fishery  were  written,  it  would 
unfold  many  a  tale  of  heroism,  of  self-sacrifice,  of 
dangerous  exploits,  of  terrible  disaster,  as  well  as  of 
determined  perseverance  in  the  face  of  hardships, 
of  successful  grappling  with  difficulties,  of  patient 
endurance  of  suffering ; 

"  Tales  of  that  awful,  pitiless  sea, 
With  all  its  terror  and  m3-stery." 

Our  bleak  New  England  shore  lacks  the  soft 
beauty  of  Southern  climes  which  has  so  often 
inspired  the  artist  and  poet  ;  but  its  rough  winds 
and  storm-beaten  waves  have  helped  to  rear  a  hardy 
race  that  has  made  its  mark  in  every  clime. 


118  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

APPENDIX. 

Capt.  Benjamin  Hilton's  Log  Books. 

The  life  of  the  men  of  Manchester  on  the  seas,  a 
hundred  and  more  3^ears  ago,  is  made  to  pass  before 
us  in  vivid  reality,  as  we  turn  the  pages  of  two  old, 
timeworn  volumes,  now  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Benjamin  Hilton  Russell  of  Haverhill,  Mass.,  con- 
taining the  nautical  record  of  voyages  made  from 
this  port  to  Virginneay,  mariland.,  Fyall^  the  West 
Unjees,  etc.  The  paper  is  stained  and  yellow  with 
age,  some  pages  are  missing  and  others  torn,  and 
blank  leaves  contain  some  boyish  scribblings ;  but 
the  books  are  still  in  most  parts  a  legible  account  of 
each  day's  happenings,  including  nautical  reckonings, 
calculations  in  trigonometry,  diagrams,  sailing  direc- 
tions, remarks,  vessels  spoken,  accounts  with  owners 
and  crew,  and  such  other  matters  as  make  up  a  log- 
book and  journal  at  sea.  The  books  were  evidently 
carefully  kept,  and  bear  marks  of  a  thoughtful  and 
painstaking  habit.  They  represent  the  intelligence 
and  capacity  of  the  men  bred  to  the  ocean  in  this  lit- 
tle town  by  the  sea. 

The  names  of  the  vessels  mentioned  are,  "  Breat- 
tany,"  "  Lucy,"  "  Salley,"  "  Louisay,"  "  Patty,"  ' 
"  Corr  "  and  "  Darbey."  The  voyages  seem  to  have 
been  in  general  remarkably  uneventful,  "smoothe 
winds  "  and  "  smal  brezes  "  predominating.     The  log 

1  A  schooner  "  Patty  "  is  mentioned  with  other  vessels  as  "  carried  into 
the  Bermudas  and  there  condemned,  in  consequences  of  the  British  Orders- 
in-Council,"  about  December,  1794.  This  was  during  the  war  between  Eng- 
land and  France,  when  American  vessels  were  frequently  searched  and 
seized  by  British  cruisers  on  pretence  of  having  on  board  deserters  or 
carrying  contraband-of-war. 


THE   FISHEEIES.  119 

is  methodically  kept,  noting  each  hour  the  knots 
run,  the  course,  the  wind,  latitude  and  longitude, 
departure  and  meridian,  with  remarks,  etc.  The 
pages  have  usually  a  running  head-line,  as  "  A  Log 
of  our  Intended  Passage,  by  god's  asistance  on  the 
good  shooner  Patty,"  etc.,  or,  "A  Journell  of  vige 
Continnered  att  Sea,"  etc.  One  of  the  books  con- 
tains on  a  fly-leaf  the  inscriptions: 

"  Benjamin  Hilton  His  Book  Bought  In  Salam  In  the 
Year  of  our  Lord  1762  the  Price  13  Shilens  old  tenner." 
Benjamin  Hilton  His  Book  the  Lord  give  him  grace  therein 
to  Look  and  wen  the  Bells  Do  for  him  towl  the  [Lord]  have 
marcey  one  his  Soul 

Beniamin  Hilton 

his  hand  and  pean  and  if  the   peen   had   Been   Better  I 

Wood  mended  everey  Latter" 

The  following  will  give  an  idea  of  the  daily 
"  Remarks  "  :  — 

Sunday  the  2d  of  June  1765  this  24  hours  we  have  head 
fresh  brese  of  wind  to  the  west  word  and  South  word  att  3 
P  M  Hour  main  touping  lift  gav  way  and  att  6AM  Saw  3 
toup  Sail  vessels  bound  to  the  East  word  and  att  10  a  m 
Saw  2  more  Bound  to  the  East  word  and  we  have  Cloudey 
weather  &  Rain 

freyday  the  1*'  Day  of  august  1766  this  24  hours  Be- 
gines  with  a  smoule  Brese  of  wind  to  the  South  word  and 
East  word  and  fein  plesent  weather  and  att  6PM  Cairn  to 
anchour  in  St.  meareas  and  histed  out  hour  Boot  and  I  and 
Cleaves  and  Eouberds  went  on  Shouer  and  att  5AM  went  on 
Shouer  after  Soum  mialk  and  then  after  that  wentup  to  the 
Coustem  house  after  a  stiucket  for  the  Last  Vige  and  to 
meack  Repourt  and  to  heir  Xewes  and  So  forth  " 


120  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTEE. 

The  following  appears  to  be  a  letter  to  the 
owner:  — 

January  the  8  Day  1769. 

Worthy  Sir 

Imbrss  this  optunity  to  "Writ  to  you  to  Lit  you  know  of 
my  Seaf  arjefuell  into  Noncok  I  Entered  the  27  Day  of 
December  and  finding  mearkets  Veareay  Low  in  these 
peartes  molasses  gowes  by  the  hhd  "^j  and  Rum  by  the 
hh  2/g  and  Rum  by  the  Barrell  ^/^  and  Corn  by  the  Boush- 
ell  2/g  and  wheet  by  the  Boushell  ^^^  and  Beaues  thier  is 
iNon  to  be  head  I  Could  not  hear  any  Newes.  .  .  .  Corn 
is  hurt  with  the  froust  in  all  the  .  .  .  and  it  is  So  Soft  that 
I  Shant  Ship  aney  till  the  Last  of  Janueray  and  I  Dount 
think  that  we  Cant  be  atoum  ISTot  befor  the  Last  of  march. 

Besides  the  name  of  Benjamin  Hilton,  those  of 
Isaac  Lee,  John  Driver,  Robert  Perray,  William  Tar- 
ring and  John  Allen  are  also  found  in  these  books 
as  captains. 

An  autograph  letter  from  Jeremiah  Lee  of  Marble- 
head  to  Skipper  John  Allen,  putting  him  in  com- 
mand of  "  the  Sch.  Derby," '  dated  Decern.  4,  1767, 
is  a  good  specimen  of  the  instructions  given  bj^  own- 
ers at  that  time  to  captains  in  their  emploj',  and 
shows  how  much  responsibility  in  the  matter  of  sale 
and  exchange  of  cargoes  was  often  placed  in  their 
hands.  The  only  restriction  made  in  this  letter  is, 
"  Break  no  Acts  of  Trade,  suffer  no  man  to  bring 
above  six  pounds  of  Tobacco." 

1  No  doubt  identical  with  the  "  Darbey  "  above-named. 


THE    FISHERIES. 


121 


THE    BOOK-KEEPING   OF   THE   PERIOD. 

[From   Leger  of   Tim°  Orne  Jun''  of   Salem,  Anno  1750.] 
1750.  Capt.  John  Lee  of  Manchester,  Dr. 


April    13.    To  111  Galb  Rum  c  3/8]^  p 

May      22.    To  116|^  Gall"  Do  c?^    . 

Salem  Dec.  27, 1750  This  Day  Reconed 
with  Timo  Orne  Jun--  &  settled  our 
account  and  there  Remains  Ballance 
Due  to  me  Two  Pounds  12/10>^  Law- 
full  Money 
(Signed)  John  Lee  Jun^ 


LawfuU  Money. 

£20. 

11.    V/i    £      s.    d. 

19. 

8.    4 

1750/1 

Janry     3. 

To  539  foot  Boards  c  56/  p  m 

£1.    10. 

2 

19. 

To  1,  1,  7  Turpentine 

17. 

6 

Febry    4. 

To  200  Seasoned  Boards 

13. 

4 

1753 

To  pd  Sam'  Orne          .... 

4. 

8 

Janry    19. 

To  Nine  pounds  6/  6j^  L  Money  in 

full  as  pr  Rect     .... 

0.      C. 

6!^ 

1750 
May     24. 
Aug'     29. 

October 


Decbr    27 

1753 
Janry     15 


CON'TRA 

By  5li  Qutts  Haddock  c  10/8 
By  66  Qutta  Mid  fish  c  C/8    . 
By  35  Qutts  Refuse  Cod  fish  c  5/4 
By  15  Qutt'  Mid  flsh  c  0/8 
By  15  Qutts  pollock  c  4/0 


By  the  Above  ballance 


Cr. 

£2.  18.    8 
22. 

9.  6.     8 

5. 

3.  7.    6 

2  12    lOi/i 


12    12      2!4 
Lawfull  Money 


By    23    Qutta    Hack    &     Haddock 
c  8/8  pr.  Qutt«  p  Go  Peele 


42    12    10 


12    12      2^ 


Among  the  interesting  relics  of  Manchester's 
palmy  days  as  a  seaport,  is  a  well  kept  cop}'  of 
Bowditch's  "  Practical  Navigator,"  First  Edition 
with  Copperplates,  Printed  at  Newburyport,  1802  ; 
the  property  of  Isaac  Preston,  1808,  afterward  of  his 
nephew,  Ariel  Parish  Lee,  1819,  "on  board  Brig 
fedrick,  Capt.  Wm.  Tuck,  Commander,  Latt.  40, 
24,  Long.  49,   54  West.     Aged  23  years  or  there- 


122  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

abouts  higth  of  5  feet  Nothing  all  but  one  inch." 
The  book  is  now  the  prized  possession  of  Mr.  Lee's 
daughter,  Mrs.  Joseph  Russell.  This  book  was 
always  at  Mr.  Lee's  elbow,  no  doubt,  in  the  years 
of  his  life  at  sea,  as  the  Bible,  the  spiritual  "Navi- 
gator," was  in  his  later  life  on  shore.  With  these 
two  books  in  hand,  many  an  old  salt  in  days  gone 
by  shaped  his  course  for  both  earth  and  heaven. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  WAR   OF    1812. 


"  Is  this  the  land  our  fathers  loved, 
The  freedom  which  they  toiled  to  win  ? 

Is  this  the  soil  whereon  they  moved  ? 
Are  these  the  graves  they  slumber  in  ? 

Are  loe  the  sons  by  whom  are  borne 

The  mantles  which  the  dead  have  worn  ?" 

y^Tiittier. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE    WAR    OF    1812. 

CAUSES   OF  THE   WAR  —  IMPRESSMENTS  —  THE   EMBARGO  —  DI- 
VIDED  COUNSELS  —  THE    WAR   CLOUD — "A   GLORIOUS 
VICTORY  "  —  BLOCKADE  RUNNING  —  THE  GREAT 
SEA  FIGHTS  — RESULTS  OF  THE  WAR  — 
PEACE  —  HOME  INDUSTRIES  — 
"  FORGING   AHEAD." 

THE  causes  of  the  War  with  Great  Britain  in 
1812-15,  were  chiefly  the  impressment  of 
American  seamen  into  the  British  naval  ser- 
vice,' and  the  claim  made  by  Great  Britain  to  the 
right  of  search  of  neutral  vessels  for  the  purpose  of 
arresting  deserters.  These  claims  were  pushed  to 
such  an  extent,  and  in  so  arrogant  a  manner,  and 
were  accompanied  by  so  many  flagrant  acts  of  in- 
justice in  the  shape  of  detention  of  ships  on  the  high 
seas,  false  arrests  and  harsh  treatment  of  seamen 
accused  of  being  deserters,  that  the  United  States 
finally  threw  down  the  gauntlet  of  war  and  became 
involved  in  a  conflict  with  the  greatest  naval  power 
in  the  world,  a  power  which  had  captured  or  shut  up 
in  port  all  the  other  navies  of  Europe. 

The  embargo   of    1807  '  had  occasioned  a  great 

1  "The  practice  of  impressing  seamen  from  our  merchantmen,  which 
had  been  a  ground  of  complaint  from  the  earliest  days  of  the  French  Rev- 
olution, had  been  resumed  on  the  termination  of  the  peace  established  by 
Treaty  of  Amiens."  V^hea.ton's Eleme?ifs  of  International  Lair,  1855,  p.  xix. 
From  1803  to  1810  such  impressments  had  amounted  to  over  4,000. 

2  One  of  the  measures  of  Jefferson's  administration,  prohibiting  all 
foreign  commerce,  with  a  design  of  forcing  Great  Britain  into  a  change  of 
policy. 

125 


126  HISTOEY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

deal  of  inconvenience  and  even  suffering  along  the 
coast ;  commerce  was  paralyzed  and  business  brought 
almost  to  a  standstill.  On  September  1  of  that  year, 
a  meeting  was  held,  and  a  memorial  prepared  and 
sent  to  Congress,  setting  forth  the  loyalty  of  the 
town  and  its  distressed  condition  by  reason  of  the 
embargo,  and  the  gloomy  outlook  for  the  future. 
As  this  memorial  failed  of  procuring  relief,  on 
Feb.  8,  1809,  a  petition  was  adopted  to  be  presented 
to  the  Legislature,  asking  that  some  action  be  taken 
to  induce  the  General  Government  to  afford  redress. 
A  series  of  spirited  Resolutions  was  also  adopted 
at  this  meeting,  and  "  ordered  to  be  signed  by  the 
moderator  and  Town  Clerk  and  a  coj^y  forwarded 
to  the  Editor  of  the  Centinel  for  j)ublication."  ' 
The  following  extracts  show  the  difficulties  the  town 
had  to  contend  with  and  the  spirit  in  which  they 
were  met  : 

6^y  Resolved  That  we  dispise  and  will  ever  hold  in  con- 
tempt those  Interlopers  «&  Night  walkers  who  have  of  late 
broken  open  our  fish  houses  stores  and  vessels  to  gratify 
their  base  designs. 

7^y  That  we  will  ever  hold  in  disdain  those  pimps  & 
spies  so  often  seen  in  our  streets  and  that  we  will  take  all 
Lawful  and  Constitutional  measures  to  bring  them  to  the 
light  and  make  their  works  of  darkness  manifest. 

Qiy  Eesolved  That  we  view  with  equal  detestation  the 
Idea  that  the  Nation  is  to  be  plunged  into  a  war  with  great 
Britain,  for  the  purpose  of  being  intangled  in  an  alliance 
with  France. 

1  The  original  paper  is  on  file  in  the  Selectmen's  office,  signed  by  Abial 
Burgess,  Moderator,  and  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Town  Clerk. 


THE    WAR    OF    1812,  127 

Petition  to  the  Legislature. 

"  To  the  honorahle,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Eepresenta- 
tives  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  in  general  court 
assembled. 

"  The  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Manchester  in  legal 
town  meeting  assembled,  humbly  represent  that  such  is 
their  local  situation,  the  soil  of  the  town  being  in  general 
rocky,  broken  and  barren,  they  are  obliged  to  repair  to  the 
Ocean  for  the  means  of  subsistance  for  themselves  and 
families.  This  invaluable  privilege  which  the  God  of  Xature 
has  afforded  them,  they  have  hoped  to  enjoy  unmolested. 
But  the  restrictions  laid  on  them  in  the  several  Embargo 
Laws  enacted  by  the  Government  of  the  LTnited  States,  has 
excited  sensations  truly  painful  and  distressing  to  your  mem- 
orialists as  well  as  many  others.  "We  have  indulged  a  hope 
that  the  government  of  the  United  States  would  not  con- 
tinue to  interdict  that  commerce  on  which  we  have  de- 
pended for  our  support.  Your  memorialists  do  consider 
that  the  abandonment  of  the  Ocean,  to  them  is  as  oppres- 
sive, distressing  and  unjust  as  a  prohibition  on  the  produce 
of  the  land  would  be  to  the  farmer.  While  our  brethren  in 
the  country  enjoy  the  privilege  of  cultivating  their  land 
and  reaping  the  fruit  of  their  labors,  we  are  under  the  re- 
straints which  forbid  our  industry  and  deprives  us  of  our 
only  means  of  support.  Your  memorialists  have  petitioned 
Congress  for  relief,  but  in  vain,  now  turn  their  eyes  to  this 
honorable  body,  the  more  immediate  guardians  of  their  con- 
stitutional rights,  praying  them  to  take  such  measures  as  in 
their  wisdom  they  shall  conceive  best  calculated  to  afford 
us  relief  and  save  us  from  beggary  and  starvation. 

"  Your  memorialists  pledge  themselves  as  ready  at  the 
risk  of  their  property  and  Ifves,  to  support  you  in  any  con- 
stitutional measures  you  shall  adopt  for  the  redress  of  our 
gj-ievances,  and  likewise  to  prevent  an  unjust  war  with 
Gi'eat  Britain. 

"Your  memorialists,  as  in  duty  bound,  will  ever  pray. 
Done  in  town  meeting  this  >^th  of  Feb.,  1809." 


128  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

The  wars  of  Napoleon  continued  to  produce  dis- 
astrous results  in  this  country,  in  the  interference 
with  trade  and  especially  with  maritime  pursuits, 
and  the  time  was  one  of  much  depression  and  anxi- 
ety. The  country,  too,  was  divided  in  its  counsels, 
party  feeling  ran  high  and  political  animosities  were 
violent.  On  July  19,  1812,  a  county  convention 
was  called  to  meet  at  Ipswich,  to  consider  "  the 
awful  and  alarming  situation  of  the  country."  Wil- 
liam Tuck,  Esq.,  was  delegate  from  this  town. 
Resolutions  were  adopted  by  the  convention  strongly 
opposed  to  the  impending  war,  which  was  greatly 
deprecated  on  the  seaboard  as  likely  to  destroy  the 
commercial  and  shipping  interests.  At  the  same 
time,  a  feeling  that  the  insolence  and  injustice  often 
displayed  by  Great  Britain  could  not  long  be  borne 
by  a  free  and  growing  people  prompted  many  to 
patriotic  resistance,  whatever  might  be  the  result. 
Before  the  Declaration  of  War,  there  was  great 
division  of  feeling,  but  when  the  War  was  actually 
begun,  when  the  settlement  of  the  questions  at  issue 
was  transferred  from  the  council-chamber  to  the  field, 
all  hearts  beat  in  unison,  every  other  sentiment  and 
interest  yielded  to  the  overmastering  determination 
to  uphold  the  honor  of  the  nation  and  to  defend  the 
flag. 

The  first  warlike  measure,  adopted  in  Manchester 
was  the  appointment  of  a  Committee  of  Safety. 
These  were  Maj.  Henry  Story,  John  Allen,  Andrew 
Marsters,  William  Tuck  and  Samuel  Forster.  They 
were  instructed  to  place  a  watch  along  the  coast, 
erect   flag-staffs  and    provide  flags  for   signals  and 


THE    AVAR    OF    1812.  129 

alarms.  A  breastwork  was  thrown  up  on  Norton's 
Point,'  and  the  present  Powder  House  built  on 
Powder  House  Hill.  The  seaboard  was  in  particular 
danger  from  the  enemy's  cruisers,  and  was  almost 
wholly  unprotected  from  Salem  Harbor  to  Eastern 
Point.  Petition  was  made  to  Government  for  pow- 
der and  two  six-pound  cannon,  and  the  people 
drilled  and  armed  themselves  in  almost  constant  ex- 
pectation of  an  attack. 

The  Inspection  Roll  of  "  Capt.  Joseph  Hooper's 
Company  of  Foot,"  May,  1812,  is  preserved  in  the 
Town  Archives.  The  officers'  names  are  given  as 
Joseph  Hooper  and  Daniel  Friend;  the  sergeants, 
Ebenezer  Tappan,  Jr.,  and  Amos  Knight.  The 
names  of  men,  rank  and  file,  number  eighty.  The 
worn  and  faded  sheet,  with  its  carefully  filled 
returns  of  equipments,  is  evidence  that  the  inspection 
of  the  militia  was  no  mere  farce.  We  can  almost 
see  these  sturdy  men,  some  of  whom  survived  until 
a  quite  recent  period,' mustered  on  a  bright  spring- 
morning,  at  sound  of  fife  and  drum,  on  the  Common, 
answering  to  their  names,  exhibiting  their  arms  and 
ammunition,  going  through  their  simple  evolutions 
in  the  presence  of  an  admiring  crowd  of  youngsters, 
and  then  adjourning  when  dismissed  to  the  tavern 
and  regaling  themselves  after  the  arduous  service 
with  cider  and  flip,  captain  and  men  now  on  a  per- 
fect equality — a  part  of  that  citizen  soldiery  which 
our  country  has  never  found  wanting  in  time  of 
need. 

But  although  the  English  men-of-war  were  known 

1  Its  remains  were  visible  until  a  few  years  ago. 


130  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

to  be  hovering  like  birds  of  prey  along  the  coast, 
and  were  occasionally  seen  in  our  waters,'  no  assault 
was  made  or  landing  effected  upon  our  shore.  The 
nearest  approach  to  anything  like  an  invasion  by  the 
enemy's  forces,  and  one  that  had  a  somewhat  ludi- 
crous ending,  occurred  at  Kettle  Cove.  An  alarm 
had  been  given,  "  The  enemy  is  landing!  "  The' 
militia  was  hastily  summoned  by  beat  of  drum,  the 
six-pounder  mounted  in  front  of  the  church  was 
loaded  with  powder  and  ball,  and  the  martial  column 
bore  away  for  the  scene  of  conflict  with  the  old 
field-piece  in  tow.  The  cannon  was  planted  in  a 
strategic  position  on  Crow  Island,  and  the  men  and 
boys,  concealed  among  the  rocks  and  bushes,  awaited 
the  approach  of  the  enemy.  After  some  time  the 
boats  from  the  frigate  appeared,  but  seeing  the  can- 
non and  hearing  the  strains  of  fife  and  drum,  sup- 
posed that  a  large  force  was  concealed,  and  judging 
"  discretion  "  to  be  the  "  better  part  of  valor,"  pru- 
dently rowed  away. 

The  gallant  defenders  emerged  from  their  hiding- 
place  as  soon  as  the  enemy  was  fairly  out  of  sight, 
and  ere  long  were  on  their  homeward  way  in  liigh 
glee,  with  the  old  cannon  and  a  crowd  of  noisy  boys 
bringing  up  the  rear.  In  coming  down  the  "  great 
hill,"  what  was  their  amazement  to  find  their  trusty 
and  only  cannon  ball  quietly  reposing  by  the  way- 
side, where  it  had  rolled  from  the  cannon  as  it  was 

1  Rufus  Choate  "  had  seen,  as  a  boy,  from  the  Essex  hills  the  Shannon 
frigate  in  Ipswich  bay."  In  a  conversation  with  R.  H.  Dana,  Jr.,  March 
27,  1854,  "  he  described  beautifully  the  great  frigate,  lounging  about  the 
bay  of  a  summer  afternoon,  and  standing  off  to  sea  at  night,  proudly 
scorning  the  fleet  of  fishing  boats  about  her." 


THE    WAR    OF    1812.  131 

being  dragged  up  the  hill.  The  discovery,  however 
it  might  have  caused  a  momentary  chagrin,  was  not 
allowed  to  diminish  the  enthusiasm  of  the  victors  as 
they  marched  proudl}^  back  to  town,  and  reported 
the  success  of  the  expedition.  No  doubt  the  ruse 
de  guerre  accomplished  its  object,  and  Manchester 
was  spared  an  invasion.  Many  a  victory  is  none  the 
less  real  because  it  is  bloodless.' 

Another  still  more  daring  act  on  the  part  of  some 
of  the  men  of  Manchester  is  related  by  Mr.  Tappan; 
it  is  an  instance  of  very  bold  blockade-running  : 

Mr.  Ebenezer  Tappan,  who  kept  a  store  on  Central 
Street,  believed  it  possible  to  evade  the  enemy's  ships,  and 
get  some  supplies  from  Boston.  His  topsail  schooner 
"Nancy  "  was  noted  for  her  sailing  qualities,  and  Captain 
Jerry  Danforth,  Nathan  Carter,  and  his  son,  Benjamin 
Tappan,  were  placed  in  charge.  They  kept  along  the 
shore,  entered  Boston  harbor  by  Shirley  Gut  at  night  ; 
having  secured  their  cargo,  which  consisted  of  flour,  sugar, 
molasses,  rum  and  lumber,  they  started  homeward.  All 
went  well  until  they  had  passed  Baker's  Island,  and  they 
were  congratulating  themselves  upon  the  success  of  their 
trijD,  for  they  were  almost  home.  Suddenly  the  fog,  lifting, 
disclosed  the  much  dreaded  cruiser  quite  near.  A  shot 
from  her  was  a  hint  to  stop,  but,  as  there  was  a  breeze, 
they  kept  on  their  course  for  Manchester.     They  could  see 

1  The  last  surviver,  probably  of  this  expedition,  passed  away  the  last 
summer  (1894)  as  appears  from  the  following  notice  in  the  local  prints  : 

Uncle  George  Babcock  rounded  out  his  89th  birthday  on  Saturday,  June 
30.  Mr.  Babcock  is  still  quite  strong  and  active,  working  about  the  neigh- 
borhood doing  odd  chores,  sawing  wood,  etc.  Although  only  about  eight 
or  nine  years  old  at  the  time,  he  took  part  in  the  repulse  of  a  British  force 
from  the  shores  of  Manchester,  his  native  town,  during  the  war  of  1812, 
when  he  helped  drag  a  cannon  to  the  beach.  —  Beverly  Times. 

Mr.  Babcock  was  a  resident  of  North  Beverly  and  intended  to  attend 
the  gathering  of  the  elderlies  this  year,  therefore  the  news  of  his  death 
this  week  was  received  with  great  surprise.  He  was  ill  but  a  few  hours.  — 
Manchester  Cricket. 


132  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

two  barjjes  beiug  made  ready  for  a  chase.  When  they 
reflected  upon  the  damage  they  might  inflict  on  the  unpro- 
tected village,  they  resolved  to  run  inside  of  Misery  Island, 
and  endeavor  to  reach  the  protection  of  the  forts  below 
Salem.  But  the  wind  became  lighter  and  the  barges  were 
gaining  so  fast  it  was  decided  to  run  her  on  shore,  which 
they  did  at  Mingo's  Beach  in  Beverly.  The  men  landed 
under  cover  of  the  vessel,  but  as  they  reached  the  high  land 
near  the  road  they  were  fired  upon  by  their  pursuers.^  The 
English  used  every  effort  to  get  their  prize  afloat,  but, 
failing  in  that,  they  took  some  of  the  goods,  stripped  the 
sails  and  set  her  on  fire.  The  militia  from  Beverly  and 
Manchester  soon  arrived,  extinguished  the  fire  and  hastened 
the  departure  of  the  barges  by  some  musket  shots.  The 
vessel  was  afterwards  taken  to  Manchester  and  repaired. 

This  narrative  is  confirmed  by  recollections  of 
several  old  inhabitants  of  Salem  and  Beverly,  pub- 
lished in  the  Beverly  Times  a  few  years  ago.  The 
late  Capt.  Thomas  Leach  witnessed  the  affair  with 
his  father  and  grandfather,  with  whom  he  rode  to 
the  scene  of  action  in  the  "  square-topped  chaise." 
All  witnesses  agree  as  to  the  main  facts  of  the  case. 
The  presence  of  the  Manchester  company  is  estab- 
lished beyond  doubt,  although  one  witness  did  not 
see  it;  a  case  in  which  positive  evidence  outweighs 
negative. 

Although  the  town  did  not  suffer  from  any  descent 
of  the  enemy  upon  the  coast,  the  presence  of  the 
cruisers  in  tlie  Bay  caused  a  good  deal  of  alarm  at 
times,  especially  among  the  women  who  were  often 
alone,  and  who  hurried  with  their  children  and  val- 

1  An  interesting  relic  of  this  affair,  a  swivel  shot,  about  two  inches  in 
diameter,  pickeil  up  just  after  it  was  fired  from  the  barge,  is  in  possession 
of  Mr.  Oliver  T.  Roberts.  It  was  long  used  as  a  pestle  to  break  corn  in  a 
mortar. 


THE    AVAR    OF    1812.  133 

uables  to  the  woods  on  the  first  alarm  from  the  coast- 
guards. There  is  a  somewliat  apocryphal  tradition 
that  one  good  woman  on  reaching  a  place  of  safety, 
found  the  spoons  all  secure,  but  in  the  haste  and 
trepidation  of  flight  the  baby  had  been  left  behind. 
The  story  may  have  originated  in  the  disordered 
brain  of  some  unfortunate  bachelor. 

Added  to  this  constant  and  wearing  source  of 
anxiety,  provisions  were  scarce,  and  no  money  was 
to  be  had.  Labor  commanded  very  small  Avages  — 
it  was  in  fact  almost  a  drug  in  the  market  ;  and  the 
wages,  such  as  they  were,  when  there  was  any  em- 
ployment at  all,  were  paid  in  "  orders  "  on  the  stores. 
A  peck  of  meal  was  considered  an  equivalent  for  a 
day's  work ;  and  there  was  no  ten  hours'  law  in 
force,  a  day  was  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  But  we  sel- 
dom or  never  hear  a  word  of  complaint.  Our  fathers, 
amidst  all  their  privations  and  hardships,  "  bated  not 
a  jot  of  heart  or  hope,  but  still  bore  up  and  steered 
right  onward."  It  was  left  for  a  simpering  and 
luxurious  age  to  ask,  "  Is  life  worth  living  ?  " 

The  War  did  not  close  without  its  thunders  reach- 
ing this  little  hamlet.  The  famous  fight  between 
the  "  Chesapeake "  and  "  Shannon  "  was  seen  by 
many  from  our  heights,  as  the  smoke  of  the  guns 
rolled  down  Boston  Bay.  It  was  witnessed  at  closer 
quarters  than  was  altogether  pleasant  by  the  late 
Stephen  Danforth,  who,  as  he  told  the  writer,  had  a 
near  view  of  the  beginning  of  the  engagement,  when 
a  boy  in  his  father's  fishing-boat  near  the  scene  of 
action.  Manchester,  too,  furnished  her  recruits  for 
the  naval  service.     Serving  on  the  "  Chesapeake  " 


134  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

was  Lambert  Flowers,  a  man  of  herculean  build  and 
great  strength  and  courage ;  he  was  wounded  in  the 
battle,  but  lived  to  serve  many  years  as  a  boatswain 
in  the  Navy.  During  the  fight  he  boarded  the 
enemy,  but  finding  himself  unsupported  he  made  his 
way  back  to  his  own  ship  undetected.  Many  stories 
are  told  of  his  prodigious  strength.  It  is  said  that 
he  once  reefed  a  sail  that  defied  the  strength  of  four 
able  seamen  ;  and  on  another  occasion  picked  up  a 
cannon  that  required  four  men  to  lift  and  carried  it 
across  the  deck.  He  is  said  to  have  been  on  the 
"  Constitution  "  when  she  captured  the  "  Guerriere." 
He  was  a  quiet,  inoffensive  man,  never  provoking  a 
quarrel.  He  was  never  married,  and  died  suddenly 
and  alone  in  his  lodgings  in  Boston.  Stories  of 
similar  feats  of  muscular  power  are  told  of  Paul 
Leach,  a  ship-carpenter,  and  others.  Some  of  them 
are  probably  mythical,  but  not  without  a  foundation 
in  fact. 

There  were  others  of  the  sons  of  Manchester  in 
the  National  war  vessels  and  in  the  privateers  which 
wrought  such  destruction  upon  British  commerce. 
It  is  impossible  now  to  ascertain  who  or  how  many 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  served  the  country  on 
the  seas.  Mention  has  recently  been  discovered  '  of 
three  Manchester  men  in  an  engagement  between 
the  schooner  "  Sword  Fish  "  of  Gloucester,  156  tons, 
twelve  guns,  100  men,  and  two  unknown  British 
ships,  Aug.  24,  1812. 

"  "We  lay  closely  engaged  with  the  two  for  twenty  min- 

1  Communicated  through  the  kindness  of  Major  David  W.  Low  of 
Gloucester. 


THE    WAR    OF    1812.  135 

utes,  and  finding  the  ships  too  heavy  for  us,  and  not  being 
able  to  board  on  account  of  the  sea  being  too  high,  were 
obliged  to  haul  off.  In  the  action,  Joseph  Widger  of  Man- 
chester, seaman,  was  killed  with  a  round  shot  ;  Mr.  Xatban 
Lee,  Jr.,  of  ditto,  prize-master,  was  dangerously  wounded 
by  a  splinter  which  entered  just  above  the  left  eye  ;  Archer 
Holt,  slightly."  ^ 

With  PeiT}^  on  Lake  Erie,  and  McDonough  on 
Champlain,  were  Ephraim  demons,  John  Babcock, 
Joseph  Camp  and  William  Camp.  The  last  two 
were  reported  "  missing,"  and  are  supposed  to  have 
been  killed.  Major  Henry  Story,  Capt.  Isaac  Lee, 
Benjamin  Leach  and  Ezekiel  Leach  were  at  one 
time  in  the  famous  Dartmoor  prison.  Mr.  Thomas 
Dow,  Senior,  Avas  taken  prisoner  by  a  British  eighty- 
gun  ship  while  on  a  coasting  voyage.* 

The  War  resulted  in  the  country  taking  a  high 
place  abroad  and  winning  great  respect  as  a  naval 
power.  It  achieved  a  second  time  the  Independence 
of  the  United  States.  For  generations  the  eastern 
seaboard  had  been  famous  for  its  ship-building ;  bet- 
ter vessels  and  faster  sailers  had  been  turned  out 
from  the  Yankee  shipyards  than  even  England 
could  place  upon  the  seas.  The  shijDwrights  of 
Manchester  had  been  at  work  for  a  century,  and 
fishing  craft  of  from  ten  to  one  hundred  tons,  and  if 
tradition  is  to  be  trusted  much  larger  vessels,  inckid- 

1^  Transcript  of  Journals  of  Vessels  having  letters  of  Marqne  and 
Reprisal,  etc.,  reported  to  John  Kittredge,  Collector  of  District  of 
Gloucester. 

2  Mr.  Dow  overheard  some  of  the  petty  officers  talking  in  a  rather 
supercilious  way  about  the  Yankee  frigates,  when  the  old  Captain  said  to 
them,  "  Young  gentlemen,  you  do  not  know  what  you  are  saying.  I  know 
Commodore  Bainbridge,  and  I  tell  you  he  knows  how  to  handle  a  frigate." 
The  wise  heads  in  the  British  navy  had  great  respect  for  American  sea- 
manship. 


136  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

ing  one  or  two  ships,  had  borne  witness  in  the  ports 
of  Europe  to  their  skill  and  energy.  George  Nor- 
ton had  been  .a  well  known  builder;  others,  whose 
works  praised  them  in  tlie  gates  of  the  Mediterra- 
nean and  the  West  Indies,  had  laid  down  the  keels 
of  schooners  and  brigs  that  traded  from  Portsmouth 
to  San  Domingo,  and  run  to  Bilboa  and  Cadiz.' 
Whole  fleets  of  American  sea  craft,  mostly  schoon- 
ers, swarmed  along  the  coasts  of  America,  sailing  to 
the  West  Indies  and  the  Spanish  Main.  Every 
bight  and  bay  and  estuary  was  a  lurking  place  of 
buccaneers,  and  the  merchant  vessels  fought  their 
way  often  to  their  destination  and  back  again.  Sea 
navigation  became  an  instinct,  and  sea  fighting  a 
profession  and  science  to  these  brave  men. 

All  this  experience  stood  us  in  good  stead  in  the 
War  of  1812,  a  w^ar  which  was  largely  fought  on 
the  Ocean  and  the  Great  Lakes.  The  land  conflicts 
were  insignificant,  and  mostly  disastrous  to  the 
American  cause.  But  on  the  water  the  skill  and 
prowess  of  our  seamen  made  the  young  Republic  the 
wonder  and  admiration  of  the  world.  With  a  naval 
force  hastily  improvised  and  equipped,  and  often 
greatly  inferior  in  weight  of  metal  to  the  enemy's 
ships,  we  were  victorious  in  many  a  sharp  encoun- 
ter.''    In    the  first   six  months    of   the  War,    three 

1  Besides  the  frequent  voyages  to  Southern  ports  and  the  West  Indies, 
Manchester  had  some  direct  trade  with  Spain.  In  September,  1807,  the 
scliooner  "Three  Sisters,"  Hooper,  from  Alicant  to  Manchester,  was 
spoken  at  sea.  Voyages  to  Lisbon  were  common,  and  many  Manchester 
men  were  lost  on  these  transatlantic  passages. 

2  On  Feb.  20,  1815,  the  ConstlHUion,  51  guns,  captured  the  O/ooeand 
Levant,  fifty-five  guns,  after  a  four  hours'  contest  l)y  moonlight,  in  which 
the  American  loss  was  fourteen  to  the  British  of  seventy-seven,  proving 
the  superior  gunnery  of  the  Yankees. 


THE    AVAR    OF    1812.  137 

British  frigates  and  three  sloops-of-war  were  cap- 
tured or  destroyed  by  American  vessels  of  the  same 
chiss.  The  great  sea-fights  made  the  names  of  com- 
manders like  Hull,  Decatur,  Stewart^  Bainbridge, 
Porter,  Dale,  Perry  and  McDonough,  and  of  ships 
like  the  Co7tstitutio7i,  United  States,  Essex,  Wasp  and 
Peacock,  familiar  in  song  and  story  to  coming  gen- 
erations.' "The  effect  of  these  victories  was  out  of 
all  proportion  to  their  real  importance  ;  for  they  were 
the  first  heavy  blows  which  had  been  dealt  at  En- 
gland's supremacy  over  the  seas."' 

The  War  of  1812  has  never  received  the  attention 
which  it  deserves  from  modern  story-writers,  having 
been  eclipsed  by  the  greater  apparent  romance  of  the 
events  of  the  struggle  for  Independence  and  of  the 
Civil  War.  Yet  it  has  been  pertinently  said  that 
"  If  the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  a  war  for  inde- 
pendence, that  of  1812  was  one  for  natioiiality,  and 
its  results,  while  perhaps  less  apparent,  were  none 
the  less  real."  ^ 

The  year  1815  dawned  upon  a  land  that  had 
looked  across  the  seas  for  months  in  hopes  of  a  ces- 
sation of  hostilities  to  follow  the  negotiations  of  the 

1  Few  pieces  were  more  popular  for  "  speaking  "  a  generation  ago  than 
"  Old  Ironsides,"  by  O.  W.  Holmes  — 

"  Ay !  tear  her  tattered  ensign  down !  " 
a  lyric  which  saved  the  gallant  old  ship  from  destruction,  and  made  it  the 
pride  and  glory  of  the  nation  for  years. 

2  History  of  the  English  Pcoj^le,  Green,  B.  IV,  ch.  v. 

3  The  younger  generation  of  readers  will  get  an  insight  into  the  condi- 
tions of  the  times  of  1812,  a  history  of  the  second  war  with  England,  with 
the  results  upon  national  life  that  followed  it,  in  The  Search  for  Andrew 
Field,  by  E.  S.  Tomlinson  (Lee  &  Shepard,  Boston),  a  story  of  American 
boys,  full  to  the  brim  of  love  of  country,  manly  ia  t.nie,  and  written  by  one 
thoroughly  familar  with  the  ground. 


138  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Peace  Commissioners  at  Ghent.  It  is  true,  the  re- 
sult of  the  embargo  had  been  to  turn  the  attention 
of  the  country  more  to  manufactures,  and  there  had 
been  much  progress  made  in  this  direction  since  the 
opening  of  the  century.  But  there  had  been  a  gen- 
eral stagnation  of  industry,  and  upon  the  seaboard 
especially  there  was  much  poverty  and  distress. 
When  news  ariived  in  New  York  in  February  that 
the  terms  of  peace  had  been  concluded  upon,  there 
was  universal  rejoicing,  and  a  general  sense  of  relief. 
As  the  tidings  spread  through  the  land,  there  were 
bonfires  on  the  hill-tops,  firing  of  cannon  and  great 
jubilation.  In  Manchester,  the  event  was  celebrated 
by  a  great  dinner  at  the  tavern,  where  "  the  emotions 
of  the  people  found  vent  in  speeches,  patriotic  songs, 
and  shouts  of  merriment  until  the  small  hours  of  the 
coming  day." 

Through  all  these  chequered  years,  in  light  and 
shade,  Manchester  had  been  advancing  on  the  whole 
in  material  prosperity.  The  steps  are  not  easy  to 
trace  for  want  of  contemporary  records,  but  a  long 
way  had  been  traversed  between  the  close  of  the 
Revolution  and  the  close  of  the  War  of  1812.'  The 
people  had  learned  the  benefits  to  a  community  of  a 
variety  of  industries,  and  they  no  longer  restricted 
their  energies  to  the  seine  and  the  fish-flakes. 

Women  shared  in  the  general  activity  and  enter- 

1  In  ISIG,  there  were  in  town,  three  grist-mills,  three  lumber-mills,  one 
mahogany  veneering-mill,  one  bakery,  twelve  carpenters,  one  cooper's 
shop,  one  wheelwright  three  painters,  one  tailor,  one  brick-yaril,  six  shoe- 
makers shops,  two  blacksmiths,  one  manufacturer  of  ship  steering  wheels, 
ten  furniture  shops  and  one  tannery,  and  the  following  farm  products  and 
stock  :  2,500  bushels  of  corn,  450  bushels  of  barley,  290  tons  of  Eaglish  hay, 
li'iO  cows,  GO  oxen,  40  tons  of  salt  hay,  28  horses,  59  swine,  35  tons  of  fresh 
nieadow  hay. 


THE    WAR    OF    1812,  139 

prise.  Wool  that  was  grown  to  a  considerable  ex- 
tent '  on  pastures  now  overrun  with  brush  or  grown 
up  to  wood,  was  carded,  spun  and  woven  by  the 
wives  and  daughters,  carried  to  Warner's  Mill  in 
Ipswich  to  be  fulled,  and  then  made  into  substantial 
clothing,  good  not  only  for  common  but  for  Sunday 
wear.  At  a  later  period,  straw  braiding  and  the 
making  of  palm-leaf  hats  gave  employment  to 
women,  and  in  many  a  frugal  home  "  Hannah " 
might  be  found  "  binding  shoes."  Idleness  was  one 
of  the  cardinal  sins.  Boys  were  bred  to  the  sea  or 
put  to  a  trade.  Girls  were  taught  household  duties 
and  simple  arts ;  they  knew  how  to  bake  and  brew, 
to  sew  and  darn,  to  spin'  and  weave,  if  they  could 
not  dance  the  latest  cotillion,  or  trim  their  gowns  in 
the  newest  Parisian  style.  They  read  the  Bible,  if 
they  knew  nothing  of  Browning;  they  were  familiar 
with  Pilgrim's  Progress,  if  they  were  ignorant  of 
Balzac  and  Kipling;  they  could  sing  counter  and 
treble  in  the  village  choir,  if  they  could  not  play 
Gounod  and  Wagner. 

There  has  never,  jDerhaps,  been  a  more  industrious 
community,  since  the  days  when  "  Adam  delved  and 
Eve  span,"  than  was  Manchester  down  to  the  mid- 
dle of  this  century.  The  people  did  not  die  of 
ennui  and  nervous  prostration.  They  did  not  need 
for  the  building  up  of  their  constitutions,  athletic 
clubs,  classes  for  physical  culture  or  polo   grounds. 

1  On  June  12,  1783,  eight  sheep  were  "  empounded"  by  Aaron  Lee,  and 
advertised  by  written  notice  for  a  claimant. 

-  The  spinning-wheel  was  an  important  article  of  household  furniture 
in  almost  every  family.  It  was  quite  as  common  as  the  sewing  machine 
to-day. 


140  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

They  had  their  play-times,  but  they  did  not  make 
play  the  business  of  life. 

With  meagre  advantages  at  the  outset,  as  com- 
pared with  towns  having  more  fertile  soil  or  greater 
commercial  opportunities,  and  with  many  obstacles 
to  contend  with  in  the  smallness  of  its  population 
and  the  great  losses  of  property  and  life  at  sea,  Man- 
chester was  slowly  forging  ahead.  She  was  keeping 
rank  with  her  sister  towns,  considering  the  disad- 
vantages of  her  lot,  with  no  unequal  step.  The 
close  of  the  War  with  Great  Britain  in  1815  saw 
the  little  community  entering  upon  a  career  of  in- 
creasing prosperity.  The  pluck  and  courage  of  the 
people  were  meeting  their  reward.  Communities, 
like  individuals,  often  grow  strong  through  hardship 
and  suffering. 

"  Ever  b}-  losses  the  right  must  gain, 
Every  good  have  its  birth  of  pain," 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

THE    CABINET-MAKiNG. 


"  In  all  labor  there  is  profit." 

Pj'overbs. 
"  The  only  noble  man  that  I  know  anything  about  is  the 
honest  laborin'  man.     Work  is  the  law  of  natur'  and  the  secret 
of   human   happiness.  ...  If  there   was   less   money   in  the 
world,  an'  more  stiddy  work,  we  should  be  better  off." 

Hiram  Golfs  Eellgion,  G.  H.  Hepworth. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    CABINET-MAKIXG. 

HEIIiLOOMS  —  FIRST   MECHANICS  —  MK.    ALLEN'S    MILL  —  "THE 
GKEAT   fire"  — A   SOUTHERN   SCARE  —  GALA  DAYS  — 
THE    LYCEUM  —  THE     "SECOND    ADVENT"  — 
PROSPEROUS  TIMES  —  A  FADING   MEM- 
ORY—  NAMES    OF    MANU- 
FACTURERS. 

THE  history  of  cabinet-making  in  Manchester  is 
a  history,  like  most  things  that  have  come  to 
greatness,  of  small  beginnings.  For  more 
than  a  century,  the  sea  furnished  the  chief  means  of 
livelihood.  Something  was  done  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil,  but  little  more  than  was  necessary  to 
meet  the  wants  of  home  consumption.  If  Man- 
chester was  to  increase  in  population  and  wealth,  it 
became  evident  that  it  must  vary  and  enlarge  its 
industries. 

For  a  long  time  after  the  settlement  of  the  coun- 
try, the  better  class  of  houseliold  furniture  was 
brought  from  England.  Much  of  it  was  in  the  shape 
of  heirlooms;  enough  to  freight  quite  a  fleet  of  mer- 
chantmen   "  came    over  in    the  Mayflower."  '      For 

'  A  "  chist  "  of  drawers  which  had  been  in  the  Allen  family  for  gener- 
ations and  which  may  have  been  brought  from  England,  is  in  the  posses- 
sion of  Mr.  Josiah  Allen  Haskell  of  Beverly,  a  descendant  of  Josiah  Allen, 
who  was  born  in  Manchester,  April  28,  1703.  Major  Forster  had  some  fine 
furniture  from  England,  which  is  in  possession  of  a  descendant.  Miss 
Bethiah  Tappau. 

143 


144  HISTORY    OF    IMANCHESTEE. 

the  rest,  for  plain,  everyday  use,  carpenters  made 
tables,  stools,  ''  settles  "  and  "  presses."  When  the 
"  new  departure  "  took  place  it  was  in  a  very  quiet 
and  humble  way.  It  was  born  of  no  concerted 
action,  and  nursed  by  no  municipal  concessions  ;  it 
was  built  by  no  syndicate,  and  launched  with  no 
newspaper  notices  and  amidst  no  applauding 
crowds. 

The  name  of  Moses  Dodge  leads  the  list  of  Man- 
chester's cabinet-makers.  He  began  work  about 
1775,  in  the  house  lately  occupied  by  Deacon  Price, 
probably  in  one  room,  where  he  laid  the  foundations 
of  the  business  carried  on  afterward  by  his  grandson 
Cyrus  Dodge,  and  at  present  by  his  great-grandsons, 
John  M.  and  Charles  C.  Dodge.  The  next  to  enter 
the  business  was  Ebenezer  Taj)pan,  born  1761,  son 
of  Rev.  Benjamin  Tappan,  a  Revolutionary  soldier, 
who  learned  the  trade  in  Portland,'  of  his  Uncle 
Wigglesworth.  He  was  followed  by  Caleb  Knowl- 
ton,  who  was  here  "  previous  to  1808."  About 
1816,  John  P.  Allen  opened  a  small  shop  on  Union 
street.  Larkin  Woodberry  worked  for  Mr.  Allen  as 
a  journeyman.  In  1834,  Albert  E.  Low  became 
apprentice  to  Mr.  Woodberry.  Such  were  some  of 
the  genealogical  trees  from  which  the  workers  in 
birch  and  cherry  and  pine  and  mahogany  have 
sprung ;  which  for  a  time  took  deep  root  in  the  land 
and  spread  their  branches  by  the  sea.  The  preemi- 
nence which  Manchester  attained  in  the  business 
was  due  to  no  one  man  exclusively.  The  town 
seems  to  have  been  noted  for  its  many  skilled  arti- 

» Then  called  Falmouth. 


THE   CABINET-MAKING.  145 

sans.  The  same  enterprise  and  "  gumption  "  that 
had  made  Manchester  "  jiggers  "  famous  in  the  fleet 
of  fishinof  craft  on  the  Banks  and  around  the  Grand 
Menan,  when  turned  into  manufacturing  channels, 
produced  mechanical  results  that  soon  took  their 
place  by  the  side  of  the  most  celebrated  productions 
in  the  warehouses  of  Boston  and  New  York.  The 
cabinet-makers  of  Manchester  are  almost  forgotten, 
but  in  their  day  they  were  an  intelligent,  wide-awake, 
ingenious,  enterprising  class  of  men.  To  single  out 
individuals  may  seem  almost  invidious.  But  two  at 
least  should  be  specially  mentioned. 

One  was  Col.  Eben  Tappan,  who  was  not  only  a 
cabinet-maker,  but  a  house-builder  and  a  manufact- 
urer of  fire-engines  and  steering-wheels.  He 
worked  at  one  bench  for  over  fifty-six  years ;  his 
shop  was  always  a  pattern  of  neatness.  One  piece 
of  his  work,  made  in  his  old  age,  may  be  mentioned 
as  a  specimen  of  his  ingenuity.  It  is  described  as  "  a 
square  box  frame,  containing  a  drawer,  which  may 
be  pulled  out  on  either  of  its  four  sides ;  this  box  is 
about  a  foot  square,  and  stands  about  six  inches  high  ; 
it  is  made  of  black  walnut,  with  a  walnut  burl  top, 
and  has  a  narrow  moulding,  and  one  or  two  narrow 
strips  of  barberry  wood  ;  it  is  a  remarkably  hand- 
some and  well  made  piece  of  work,  which  would  do 
credit  by  its  ingenuity  and  style  of  workmanship  to 
any  cabinet-maker  in  the  country."  Colonel  Tappan 
died  in  1875,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years. 

John  Perry  Allen  had  worked  for  Caleb  Knowlton 
before  the  War  of  1812  ;  but  the  "troublous  times" 
led  Mr.  Knowlton  to  retire  from  this  seaboard  town 


146  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

and  settle  in  New  Hampshire.  Mr.  Allen  set  up 
business  on  liis  own  account  during  the  war,  employ- 
ing one  journeyman  and  one  apprentice.  In  order 
to  enlarge  his  business  he  carried  two  mahogany 
bureaus  on  a  vessel  to  Boston.  Purchasers  were 
found,  orders  came  in,  and  business  prospered.  A 
few  years  later  he  shipped  a  consignment  of  furni- 
ture to  New  York,  to  be  sold  at  auction.  This 
venture  met  with  such  success  and  resulted  in  such 
an  increase  of  business  that  it  was  difficult  to  find 
enough  skilled  workmen  to  enable  him  to  fill  his 
orders.  This  was  the  time  when  mahogany  and 
other  veneers  were  very  generally  used.  They  were 
sawed  from  the  log  by  hand,  a  tedious  and  expensive 
process.  The  attempt  had  been  made  in  New  York 
and  elsewhere  to  use  machinery  for  the  purpose,  but 
with  little  success.  Mr.  Allen  was  one  of  those  who 
experimented  in  this  direction,  building  a  mill  for 
the  purpose  in  1825,  on  the  site  of  the  old  tide-water 
Grist  Mill  which  he  bought  of  the  town  for  the  pur- 
pose. The  chief  difficulty  was  in  getting  veneers 
after  the  first  two  or  three  cuts,  that  were  not  uneven 
and  wavy ;  the  heat  caused  by  friction  warping  the 
saws.  The  cause  was  at  last  discovered  by  accident. 
Some  of  the  teeth  which  were  bolted  to  the  iron 
frame-work  of  the  saw  became  broken,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  set  out  the  sections  of  the  frame  to 
make  the  saw  of  sufficient  diameter ;  this  gave  the 
needed  room  for  expansion,  and  the  machine  now 
turned  out  smooth  and  perfect  veneers.  It  is  said 
that  if  the  discovery  had  been  made  a  few  days 
earlier,   Mr.  Allen's  machine  would  have  been  the 


THE    CABINET-MAKING.  147 

first  successful  one  in  the  country.  It  appears  that 
he  narrowly  escaped  great  fame. 

The  sawing  of  veneers  now  became  a  principal 
part  of  Mr.  Allen's  increasing  business.  His 
"  plant  "  consisted  of  two  upright  saws,  four  veneer- 
ing saws/  jigsaws,  turning  lathes,  etc.  In  1835,  Mr. 
Allen  placed  a  steam  engine  in  his  mill,  which  sup- 
j)lied  veneers  for  most  of  the  furniture  and  piano 
establishments  in  the  United  States. 

It  was  somewhere  about  this  time,  that  Mr.  Ben- 
jamin Lamson  of  East  Boston,  an  extensive  dealer 
in  mahogany,  sent  a  log  measuring  six  feet  and  six 
inches  in  length,  twenty-six  inches  in  width,  and 
thirteen  inches  thick,  to  Mr.  Allen,  with  the  request 
that  he  would  have  it  planed  on  its  four  sides,  split 
in  the  middle,  and  write  him  up  an  account  of  the 
condition  in  which  he  found  it."  A  few  days  after. 
Captain  Mackie,  a  partner  with  Jonas  Chickering, 
came  to  Manchester,  examined  the  stick,  and  pur- 
chased it  for  one  thousand  dollars,  having  previously 
declined  taking  it  at  five  hundred  dollars,  through 
fear  that  it  might  not  prove  sound. 

It  was  while  the  business  was  at  the  height  of  its 
prosperity,  and  employing  a  hundred  men,  that  a 
spark  of  fire,  falling  into  some  mahogany  dust  and 
smouldering  for  hours,  broke  out  at  night  into  a 
disastrous  conflagration  that  swept  away  mill,  shops, 

1  "  These  saws  were  capable  of  dividing  a  plank  four  inches  in  thick- 
ness into  sixty  veneers.  Tliey  were  kept  from  public  view,  under  lock  and 
key,  and  all  sorts  of  subterfuges  were  used  by  people  from  many  parts  of 
the  country,  who  desired  to  see  their  operations  that  they  might  adapt  the 
principle  to  similar  purposes." 

2  Mr.  Allen  is  said  to  have  been  the  best  judge  of  mahogany  in  the 
Boston  market. 


148  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTEE. 

great  stacks  of  lumber  from  Maine  and  Honduras, 
and  reduced  the  whole  establishment  to  ashes.  The 
fire  occurred  Aug.  27,  1836,  and  is  still  remembered 
and  spoken  of  as  "  the  great  fire."  Mr.  Allen's 
dwelling  house  and  several  other  houses,  shops  and 
other  buildings  were  destroyed.  The  Salem  Gazette 
of  August  30  gave  the  following  account  : 

"  It  is  with  the  deepest  regret  we  announce  that  the 
thriving  village  of  Manchester  in  our  neighborhood,  has 
experienced  a  severe  calamity  in  the  destruction  by  fire  of 
its  principal  business  establishments,  by  which  upwards  of 
100  industrious  men  have  been  thrown  out  of  employment, 
and  several  worthy  individuals  have  lost  their  all. 

"  About  2  o'clock  on  Sunday  morning  the  Steam  Veneer- 
ing Mill  of  John  P.  Allen,  situated  near  the  centre  of  the 
village,  was  discovered  to  be  on  fire,  and  the  flames  spread 
with  great  rapidity,  communicating  immediately  with  the 
two  cabinet-shops,  and  the  handsome  dwelling  house  and 
barn  of  that  gentleman,  and  which  were  totally  destroyed 
with  their  contents. 

"Also  the  large  cabinet  manufactory  of  Mr.  Larkin 
Woodbury  which  was  destroyed.  Part  of  the  contents  were 
saved  in  a  damaged  condition. 

"  Also  the  dwelling-house,  barn  and  outbuildings  of 
Dr.  Asa  Story  which  were  destroyed. 

"  Also  the  dwelling-house  and  barn  of  Mr.  Solomon  Lee, 
an  aged  veteran  of  the  Kevolution;  a  total  loss  and  no 
insurance. 

"  Also  the  house  and  shop  of  Mrs.  Andrew  Masters,  and 
the  stable  and  shed  attached  to  the  tavern  of  Nathaniel 
Colby,  all  of  which  were  burnt. 

"  The  loss  sustained  by  Mr.  Allen  is  very  great,  esti- 
mated from  S 20,000  to  .'ffSOjOOO,  but  we  are  glad  to  learn  he 
has  considerable  insurance.  Besides  his  buildings,  mahog- 
any, tools,  etc.,  all  his  valuable  house  furniture,  a  large 


THE    CABINET-MAKING.  149 

number  of  mahogany  logs,  veneers,  lumber  and  articles  of 
new  furniture  were  destroyed. 

"  A  gentleman  of  this  city,  we  learn,  had  $1,000  worth 
of  mahogany  at  his  mill.  Mr.  Woodbury's  loss  is  estimated 
at  $4,000;  supposdto  be  insured.  Both  of  these  gentlemen 
were  absent  on  a  tour  in  the  interior. 

"  Dr.  Story's  loss  is  about  $2,500;  no  insurance. 

"  Mr.  Colby  likewise  had  no  insurance.  When  the  fire 
was  at  its  height  it  raged  on  both  sides  of  the  small  stream, 
near  which  these  establishments  were  situated,  so  that  it 
was  imiDOSsible  to  pass  the  bridge  which  crosses  it.  Owing 
to  the  dense  fog  the  fire  was  not  seen  in  this  neighborhood, 
and  it  was  not  known  until  about  3  o'clock  when  the  alarm 
was  given,  and  one  engine  and  many  of  our  citizens  pro- 
ceeded to  the  scene  of  the  conflagration." 

Mr.  Allen's  losses  were  estimated  as  over  sixty 
thousand  dollars.  He  was  insured  for  only  about 
nine  thousand.  With  indomitable  energy  he  re- 
sumed business  with  a  new  mill  and  shops  ;  but  the 
cabinet-making  business  in  Manchester  had  reached 
its  zenith.  In  1835,  the  amount  of  sales  of  furni- 
ture turned  out  by  its  workmen,  was  $50,000.  In 
a  few  years,  trade  began  to  be  transferred  to  the 
larger  centres  and  the  West,  where  abundant  lumber 
and  cheap  water-power  enabled  manufacturers  to 
enter  into  a  ruinous  competition  with  the  East. 
Considerable  work,  especially  of  the  better  class, 
however,  continued  to  be  carried  on  in  small  shops, 
until  the  coming  on  of  the  Civil  War  and  the  closing 
of  the  Southern  market  still  further  curtailed  the 
business,  so  that  it  declined  until  it  became  little 
more  than  a  shadow  of  its  former  name. 

Mr.  Allen  was  a  man  of  great  force  of  cliaracter 
and  public  spirit.     He  was  a  leader  of  men;  having, 


150  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTErw 

it  is  said,  something  Websterian  in  his  pose  of  head, 
stature  and  general  bearing.  He  died  in  1875,  in 
his  eiglitieth  year. 

The  work  that  continued  to  be  sent  from  Man- 
chester maintained  the  high  reputation  of  former 
years  for  excellence,  even  when  sadly  diminished  in 
amount.  The  Cabinet  Maker,  a  weekly  paper  "  de- 
voted to  the  interests  of  the  furniture  trade,"  jjub- 
lished  in  Boston,  in  its  issue  of  June  18,  1870,  has 
a  leading  article  of  two  columns  on  "  Furniture 
Manufacture  at  Manchester,  Mass.,"  from  which  we 
extract  the  following  : 

"  The  class  of  work  that  is  made  in  Manchester  to-day, 
is  without  doubt  as  fine  as  any  work  turned  out  in  the 
United  States,  and  it  is  retailed  in  the  warerooms  of  the 
most  fashionable  furniture  dealers  in  the  country.  The 
styles  are  good,  and  the  work  thorough  and  reliable.  "Were 
it  the  custom  to  put  the  maker's  name  on  furniture,  as  it  is 
on  watches,  fire-arms,  silverware,  and  most  other  goods, 
these  modest  manufacturers,  doing  business  in  the  same 
small  routine  way  for  the  past  forty  or  fifty  years,  would 
have  an  enviable  reputation,  wherever,  in  this  country, 
handsome  and  serviceable  furniture  is  appreciated." 

It  was  during  the  cabinet-making  period  that  the 
gold  excitement  in  California  lured  many  of  the  cit- 
izens of  Manchester,  with  others,  to  join  the  throngs 
that  made  their  way  to  the  new  El  Dorado.  Some 
went  by  the  Isthmus,  some  by  way  of  the  Plains, 
and  a  party  of  twelve  by  Cape  Horn,  in  a  small  ves- 
sel which  they  purchased,  fitted  and  loaded  with 
provisions  and  lumber  for  the  San  Francisco 
market.' 

1  ndep.350. 


THE    CABINET-MAKING.  151 

An  amusing  incident  that  occurred  during  the 
manufacturing  era  illustrates  the  fact  that  great  and 
grave  results  may  sometimes  spring  from  trifling 
causes.  The  cheaper  grades  of  furniture  found  a 
ready  market  in  the  "  forties,"  in  Charleston,  Mobile 
and  especially  New  Orleans,  from  whence  they  were 
shipped  up  the  Mississippi,  and  thus  found  their 
way  all  over  what  was  then  the  "  Great  West."  On 
one  occasion,  in  packing  some  goods  for  the  "  Cres- 
cent City,"  a  quantity  of  copies  of  the  Liberator ' 
were  used  for  wrapping,  and  when  the  cases  were 
opened  on  the  sidewalk  on  a  windy  day,  the  papers 
were  scattered,  "  thick  as  leaves  in  Vallomhrosa 
shed."  Judge  of  the  consternation  caused  by  the 
dissemination  broadcast  of  such  "  incendiary " 
matter  in  one  of  the  most  combustible  parts  of  the 
structure  of  the  great  Southern  slaveholding  civiliza- 
tion. They  must  have  seemed  like  fiery  cinders 
rained  upon  the  Southland,  from  that  ever-active 
volcano  of  political  and  moral  fanaticism  known  as 
New  England.  Some  of  them  doubtless  contained 
the  words  of  Giddings,  or  Hale,  or  George  Thomp- 
son, or  Gerrit  Smith,  or  Parker  Pillsbury,  or  the  im- 
mortal utterances  — primus  inter  pares  —  of  Garri- 
son himself.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  the  innocent 
perpetrators  of  this  practical  joke  were  at  once  noti- 
fied by  their  agent  in  very  explicit  terms  that  such 
an  offence  must  not  be  repeated.  The  Southern 
constitution  was  too  sensitive  and  irritable  to  bear  so 
powerful  a  blister. 

J  Probably  no  other  town  of  its  size  could  have  furnished  so  many 
copies  of  this  paper. 


152  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

It  was  not,  as  might  be  thought,  "  all  work  and 
no  play,"  with  the  mechanics  of  the  first  half  of  the 
century.  They  worked  early  and  late  in  the  shops,' 
they  allowed  themselves  few  luxuries,  but  they  had 
their  holidays  and  enjoyed  them  with  a  zest  unknown 
to  those  who  have  lived  to  see  holidays  multiplied 
and  hours  of  labor  diminished.  Most  days  were 
"labor  days"  in^stern  reality  to  the  generation  that 
made  Manchester  a  hive  of  industry.  But  now  and 
then,  on  some  great  occasion,  the  town  kept  gala-day. 

One  instance  of  this  kind  was  on  the  Fiftieth  Anni- 
versary of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  July  4, 
1826.  On  the  morning  of  that  day,  the  people  were 
awakened  by  the  joyful  ringing  of  bells  and  booming 
of  cannon,  announcing  the  dawn  of  the  nation's 
birthday.  A  survivor "  of  the  actors  on  that  memor- 
able occasion  has  given  the  writer  his  recollections 
of  it.  A  procession  marched  through  the  village  in 
the  following  order: 

Capt.  Benjamin  Knowlton's  Company,^ 

consisting  of  24  young  men,  representing 

tlie  States  of  the  Union. 

Gloucester  Company. 

Orator  of  the  Day,  and  Reader  of  Declaration. 

Eevolutionary  Soldiers.* 

Committee  of  Arrangements. 

Citizens. 

1  Work  was  usually  carried  on  in  the  shops  until  8  p.  m.  ;  many  worked 
on  "  stints  "  as  many  as  fourteen  hours  a  day. 

2  Dea.  A.  E.  Low. 

3  Capt.  Kuowlton  has  been  spoken  of  as  "a  born  military  leader," 
although  in  private  life  of  a  very  mild,  quiet  demeanor.  His  company, 
which  was  uniformed  in  blue  coat  and  white  jiants,  was  called  the  best- 
drilled  company  that  took  part  in  the  local  musters. 

•»  These  were  twenty-four  in  number,  according  to  Mr.  D.  L.  Bingham, 
whose  youthful  memory  as  a  boy  of  twelve  vividly  retains  the  scene. 


THE    CABINET-MAKING.  153 

The  exercises  were  held  in  the  church,  and  con- 
sisted of  singing  the  Ode  to  Science,  reading  the 
Declaration  by  Capt.  John  Girdler,  and  oration  by 
Mr.  Tyler  Parsons.  Dinner  followed  in  the  hall. 
Dea.  D.  L.  Bingham  was  president  of  the  day.  The 
citizens  generally  joined  heartily  in  the  celebration, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  of  the  "outs,"  who  were 
conspicuous  by  their  absence,  enjoying  the  day  by 
themselves  as  best  they  could,  and  no  doubt  berating 
the  administration  and  bewailing  the  degeneracy  of 
the  times. 

On  at  least  three  other  occasions,  once  on  "  Pop- 
lar Field  "  and  twice  at  "  Lobster  Cove,"  the  whole 
town,  men  and  women,  old  and  young,  came  to- 
gether on  "  Independence  Day  "  for  a  general  jollifi- 
cation, in  which  feasting,  speech-making,  toasts  and 
games  were  indulged  in  to  the  heart's  content.  At 
these  festivities,  one  learns  with  regret,  rum  flowed 
freely,  as  was  the  custom  of  those  days;  but  the 
drinking  habits  of  half  a  century  and  more  ago  were 
not  so  demoralizing  as  the  liquor  traffic  of  the  pres- 
ent day.  The  modern  "  saloon,"  with  its  progeny  of 
evils,  had  not  been  spewed  out  of  the  mouth  of  the 
pit. 

Other  feastings  and  junketings  of  a  more  select 
character  took  place  occasionally.  Among  these, 
tradition  preserves  the  memory  of  certain  goings-on 
of  Manchester  sea-captains  and  Boston  merchants  as 
their  guests  at  the  "  Cold  Spring."  It  is  not  difficult 
to  picture  in  imagination  the  "  solid  men  "  of  Bos- 
ton, whose  names  were  a  power  in  the  China  seas, 
jogging  down  through  Lynn  and  Salem  in  the  early 


154  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

morning  in  their  square-topped  chaises  and  curricles, 
and  spending  the  day  in  the  beech  grove,  eating  cokl 
fowl  and  chowder,  and  discussing  Federalist  politics, 
exchanging  ponderous  jokes  with  their  hosts,  and  re- 
turning in  the  late  afternoon  to  their  substantial  and 
comfortable  homes  on  Hanover  street  and  Fort 
Hill. 

It  was  during  the  industrial  period  that  the 
Lyceum  rose  and  flourished.'  Its  record  is  duly 
and  honorably  preserved  in  a  permanent  form  in  the 
address  of  Mr.  D.  L.  Bingham,  at  the  Dedication  of 
the  Memorial  Library  Building,  and  published  in 
the  Memorial  Volume,  pp.  24-28.  The  following 
extracts  are  from  that  address : 

"  The  Constitution  was  adopted  Feb.  10,  1830.  Any 
person  could  become  a  member  by  paying  an  annual  sub- 
scription of  fifty  cents,  and  signing  the  Constitution.  Arti- 
cle IX  declares  that  '  The  regular  exercises  of  the  Society 
shall  be  original  dissertations,  lectures  on  scientific  and 
other  practical  subjects,  and  a  debate  to  be  open  to  all  the 
members.'  Dr.  E.  W.  Leach  delivered  the  introductory 
lecture,  March  3;  the  Eev.  Samuel  M.  Emerson  followed 
with  a  lecture  on  '  The  Method  of  Conducting  Debates.' 
Dr.  Asa  Story  delivered  three  lectures  on  '  N'atural  Philos- 
ophy.' John  Price  lectured  on  '  Schools  and  Methods  of 
Government.'  Tyler  Parsons,  Joseph  Knowlton  and  Daniel 
Kin;ball  of  Ipswich  complete  the  list  of  lecturers  during  the 
first  year  of  the  Lyceum.  The  meetings  for  discussion 
were  always  well  attended,  and  the  people  took  a  deep  in- 
terest in  the  questions  brought  before  them.  Some  of  the 
questions  were  very  practical;  such  as,  '  Is  the  present  sys- 

1  Hon.  Robert  S.  Rantoul,  in  a  very  interesting  chapter  on  "  The  Spirit 
of  the  Early  Lyceums"  {History  of  Essex  County,  vol.  I,  ch.  Ixxxiv),  traces 
the  "  root-idea  of  the  American  Lyceum  "  to  the  formation  of  a  "  Society 
for  Mutual  Improvement,"  in  ^Methuen,  Essex  Co.,  in  1824,  under  the  lead 
of  Timothy  Claxton,  who  was  born  in  Norfolk,  Eng.,  1770. 


THE   CABINET-MAKING.  155 

tem  of  repairing  roads  judicious  ? '  and  '  Ought  property  to 
constitute  the  right  of  suif  rage  ?  ' 

"  In  the  list  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  members  were 
found  nearly  all  the  principal  men  of  the  town,  and  most 
of  them  took  part  in  the  discussions.  .  .  .  The  subjects  of 
the  lectures,  and  the  questions  discussed,  were  talked  about 
on  the  streets  and  in  the  shops.  .  .  .  Soon  after  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Lyceum,  a  movement  was  made  to  form  a 
library.  .  .  .  The  nucleus  of  this  Library  was  composed  of 
books  contributed  by  members  of  the  Association  .  .  .  the 
Library  increased  to  nearly  one  thousand  volumes  .  .  . 
until  it  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Town  (1871)." 

The  following  quotation  is  from  the  closing  rec- 
ord of  the  Secretary,  Mr.  George  F.  Allen: 

"  So  ends  the  Manchester  Lyceum  (first  formed  in  1830). 
It  was  a  useful  Association,  and,  in  forty  years  of  its  exis- 
tence, met  the  wants  of  the  people  as  no  other  association 
could.  Having  performed  its  mission,  if  not  as  its  founders 
wished,  certainly  with  great  credit  to  its  many  sustainers, 
it  gives  way  to  a  new  order  of  things ;  but  though  dead  in 
name,  it  lives  in  principle  and  influence." 
The  first  officers  of  the  Lyceum  were : 

Dr.  Asa  Story         ....      President. 
Delucena  L.  Bingham  .      Vice-President. 

Joseph  Knowlton  .         .         .       Secretary. 

John  Lee  .....      Treasurer. 

Curators. 
Henry  F.  Lee         .        .  David  Morgan. 

Committee. 

John  P.  Allen        .        .   Ezekiel  W.  Leach. 

Larkin  Woodberry        .      Daniel  Annable. 

David  Morgan. 

The  Lyceum  of  fifty  years  ago  was  a  valuable  edu- 
cational institution;  and  notwithstanding  the  great 
multiplication  of  magazines,  newspapers,  public  libra- 


156  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

ries  and  other  means  of  popular  information,  nothing 
has  yet  appeared  that  quite  takes  its  place.  There 
is  needed  in  our  community  some  opportunity  for 
the  interchange  of  thought  and  opinion  in  regard  to 
the  social,  business,  intellectual  and  moral  interests 
of  the  town,  and  for  the  discussion  of  general  sub- 
jects of  popular  interest,  such  as  labor  combinations, 
the  license  question,  the  fostering  of  home  indus- 
tries, the  books  we  should  read,  schools,  roads,  and 
the  like.  It  would  afford  a  valuable  training-school 
for  our  young  people,  practice  in  debate,  and  famil- 
iarity with  parliamentary  rules  and  principles.  A 
regular  meeting  with  some  important  and  timely 
subject  for  discussion,  opened  by  some  speaker  or 
speakers  prepared  to  throw  light  upon  it,  ought  to 
be  an  attraction  to  many  who  have  now  no  profitable 
employment  for  their  leisure  evenings. 

A  place,  too,  where  the  people  could  meet  to- 
gether occasionally  as  citizens,  irrespective  of  church 
or  society  affiliations,  and  learn  to  know  each  other 
better,  would  exert  in  many  ways  a  good  influence. 
We  are  in  danger  with  other  small  communities  of 
becoming  clannish,  and  with  a  dozen  organizations 
more  or  less,  of  dividing  up  into  little  knots  and 
cliques,  each  with  its  pass-words,  grips  and  fellow- 
ships, but  in  few  instances  aiming  to  jDromote  the 
public  good  beyond  their  own  little  circle.  A 
l^^ceum,  well  conducted,  would  tend  to  break  down 
exclusiveness,  to  broaden  sympathies  and  thought, 
and  to  produce  a  better  public  spirit. 

During  the  later  years  of  the  Lyceum,  a  course 
of  lectures  was  delivered  by  our  townsman,  William 


THE    CABINET-IVIAKING.  157 

H.  Tappan,  embodying  some  of  his  observations  and 
experiences  during  the  period  of  his  official  life  in 
the  Far  West,  and  the  fruit  of  large  historical  re- 
search. The  titles  of  these  lectures  were  :  "  The 
Indians  of  the  Northwest  Coast  " ;  "  The  Nez  Perces 
and  Flatheads  "  ;  "  Gold  and  Silver  Mining  ";  "  Fron- 
tier Life,  or  the  Infancy  of  States."  The  appreciation 
with  which  these  lectures  were  received  was  ex- 
pressed in  Resolutions  framed  and  presented  by  the 
Lecture  Committee,  consisting  of  Daniel  Leach,  W. 
E.  Wheaton,  Alfred  S.  Jewett,  George  A.  Priest. 

That  the  town  was  not  wholly  absorbed  in  ma- 
terial things  in  this  time  of  manufacturing  activity, 
that  its  spirit  was  not  wholly  utilitarian,  is  shown 
also  by  the  moral  and  religious  earnestness  which 
inspired  the  Anti-Slavery  movement,  the  revivals  and 
the  Second  Advent  excitement.  The  first  of  these 
demands  for  its  treatment  a  separate  chapiter  ;  the 
second  receive  attention  in  the  history  of  the 
churches  ;  the  third,  as  a  movement  which  started 
and  chiefly  ran  its  course  outside  of  ecclesiastical 
lines,  may  find  its  place  in  its  chronological  setting. 

The  movement  known  as  Second  Adventism  had 
its  orig'in  in  connection  with  a  oreneral  interest  in 
the  subject  throughout  the  country,  especially  in 
New  England.  It  was  promoted  in  town  by  the 
preaching  of  Elam  Burnham  of  Essex,  and  others, 
in  the  winter  of  1842-43,  and  made  many  converts.' 
The  movement  was  not  looked  upon  with  favor  by 

1  "There  is  a  very  great  Refonnation  in  this  Town."  "  The  work  shops 
and  grocery  stores  are  shut  up,  and  about  all  business  is  suspended,  and  all 
sorts  of  people  attend  meetings."  "  Men,  women  and  children  spoke  and 
prayed."    John  Lee's  Diary,  Jan.  24,  25, 1843. 


158  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

the  cliiircli  generally  or  by  the  minister  of  the  town  ; 
hoodlumism  Avas  invoked  to  break  up  the  meetings  ;' 
but  the  movement  was  not  thus  to  be  arrested.  It 
received  something  of  a  check  b}'-  the  appearance 
upon  the  scene  of  a  somewhat  skilled  debater,  a 
Rev.  Mr.  Smith  of  Gloucester,  who  made  up  in  tact 
and  good  nature  what  he  lacked  in  logic,  and  in  a 
public  debate  was  thought  rather  to  have  the  advan- 
tage of  Mr.  Burnham.  The  combatants  were  not  on 
the  whole,  perhaps,  very  unequally  matched ;  if  one 
carried  heavier  metal,  the  other  was  better  practised 
in  training  his  guns.  Probably  the  friends  of  both 
claimed  the  victory. 

With  a  good  deal  of  fanaticism  and  extravagance, 
there  was  much  sincerity  and  pious  feeling  ;  and 
although  the  movement  may  be  said  to  have  col- 
lapsed with  the  passing  of  the  fateful  day,  many  had 
been  moved  by  deep  religious  convictions  and  led 
into  serious  and  devout  living.  The  Second  Advent 
movement  resulted  in  the  formation  of  a  church, 
which  took  the  form,  however,  of  a  "  Christian " 
church,  so-called,  and  which  afterwards  became  a 
regular  Baptist  church.^  Second  Adventism  left 
results  behind  it  somewhat  like  those  of  a  spring 
fi^eshet,  of  a  very  mixed  character,  results  which 
continue  to  be  felt  among  us  ;  but  it  failed  to  sur- 
vive in  any  organic  form. 

In  1829  a  Temperance  Society  was  formed  on 
"  the  principle  of  total  abstinence  from  ardent  spirits 
of  persons  in  health."     Larkin  Woodberry  was  pres- 

1  Paper  read  by  W.  E.  Wheaton  before  the  Historical  Society. 

2  Vide  ch.  xili. 


THE    CABINET-MAKING.  159 

ident.  In  1836  the  Society  had  "  nearly  400  mem- 
bers." It  may  be  doubted  whether  the  many  organ- 
izations, with  ambitious  and  high-sounding  names, 
which  have  supplanted  the  early  open  temperance 
societies,  have  done  more  effective  work. 

The  manufacturing  era  in  Manchester  was  on  the 
whole  a  period  of  thrift  and  general  prosperity  and 
contentment.  The  shops,  some  of  which  still  remain 
converted  to  other  uses,  or  dismantled  and  going  to 
decay,  melancholy  ghosts  of  departed  days,  gave  em- 
ployment at  times  to  three  hundred  men.  Man- 
chester had  then  home  resources  which  gave  support 
to  an  industrious  community.  Other  industries  of 
the  time  were  the  making  of  shoes  in  small  wayside 
shops,  sufficient  to  meet  home  wants,  with  a  few 
pairs  for  export,  reed-organs,  made  by  John  Godsoe 
and  others  in  Isaac  Allen's  mill,  and  fire-engines 
built  by  Ebeneezer  Tappan,  Jr.,  which  gained  more 
than  a  local  reputation.  The  wages  were  not  high, 
but  were  fairly  remunerative,'  and  the  people  lived 
in  frugal  comfort. 

Beautiful,  however,  as  were  many  of  the  products 
of  tlie  skilled  mechanics  of  those  days,  a  strange  lack 
of  taste  for  the  most  part  continued  to  mark  the 
buildings  and  grounds  of  the  inhabitants,  with  the 
exception  which  should  be  noted  of  the  planting  of 
the  noble  elms  which  now  adorn  our  streets.  There 
was  little  of  the  sesthetic  spirit,  and  small  apprecia- 
tion of  the  natural  advantacjes  of  the  town.  The 
infusion  of  a  less  prosaic  spirit  came  later. 

But  from  1820  to  1860,  the  village  hummed  with 

1  $1.25  per  day  was  good  average  pay ;  board  was  $2.25  per  week. 


160  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTEK. 

the  sounds  of  busy  industry  and  of  active  life.  The 
coasting-trade  was  represented  by  three  "  packets  " 
plying  between  this  port  and  Boston,  and  all  depart- 
ments of  life  felt  the  stir.  The  population  was 
largely  native-born  and  homogeneous.  The  restless- 
ness, the  jealousy  of  capital  on  the  part  of  labor  too 
often  provoked  by  the  heartless  oppressions  and 
exactions  of  monopolies,  the  tyranny  of  labor  organ- 
izations, strikes,  boycotts  and  reprisals,  were  as  yet 
happily  unknown,  shut  up  in  the  Pandora's  box  of 
the  Nineteenth  Century,  that  no  one  had  had  the 
temerity  to  open.  It  was  a  time  when,  practically, 
"  every  rood  of  ground  maintained  its  man,"  when 
no  great  distinctions  divided  society  into  many 
different  strata.  The  city  had  not,  to  much  extent, 
exerted  its  fascinating  power  upon  country  lads  and 
lasses  ;  contentment,  simplicity  and  honesty  were 
common  virtues.  Men  had  not  yet  learned  how  to 
live  without  working.  There  was  little  show,  but  a 
good  deal  of  substance.  If  there  was  some  veneer, 
there  was  solid  grain  beneath.  The  cabinet  industry 
was  not  a  school  of  aesthetics,  though  it  came  near 
being  for  some  a  school  of  art  ;  but  it  trained  a 
thoughtful,  reading,  intelligent  class  of  men,  who 
gave  weight  and  character  to  the  community.  The 
period  was  by  no  means  one  of  stagnation  and  drow- 
siness. Other  posies  besides  the  poj)py  flourished  in 
the  old-fashioned  gardens. 

The  following  official  statement '  gives  at  a  glance 
the  industrial  products  of  Manchester  in  1837  : 

1  statistical  Tables,  etc.,  prepared  by  John  P.  Bigelow,  Secretary  of  the 
Commonwealth,  1838. 


THE    CABINET-MAKING.  161 

Boots  manufactured,  425  pairs;  shoes,  2,750  pairs;  value 
of  boots  and  shoes,  §4,473;  males  employed,  11;  females,  4. 

Tannery,  1;  hides  tanned, 2,000;  value  of  leather  tanned 
and  curried,  §5,500;  hands  employed,  3;  capital  invested, 
S7,000. 

Manufactories  of  chairs  and  cabinet  ware,  12;  value  of 
chairs  and  cabinet  ware,  S84,500;  hands  emjDloyed,  120. 

Palm-leaf  hats  manufactured,  3,000;  value,  §300. 

Vessels  built  in  the  five  preceding  years,  4;  tonnage  of 
same,  190;  value,  §4,500;  hands  employed  in  ship  building,  4. 

Vessels  employed  in  the  cod  and  mackerel  fishery,  14; 
tonnage  of  same, 500;  codfish  caught, 4,500  quintals;  value, 
§11,200;  mackerel  caught,  200  barrels;  value,  §1,600;  salt 
used  in  the  cod  and  mackerel  fishery,  4,500  bushels;  hands 
employed,  05;  capital  invested,  §12,300. 

Ships'  wheels  manufactured,  25;  value,  §800;  hands 
emj^loyed,  1. 

In  1865,  the  cabinet  business  gave  employment 
to  160  men,  and  a  capital  of  over  $60,000.  The 
amount  of  manufactured  goods  was  -$92,625.  There 
were  also  four  sawing  and  planing  mills,  turning  out 
113,000  worth  of  work.  The  number  of  barrels  and 
casks  made  was  32,600,  valued  at  $10,600.  The 
number  of  hides  tanned  was  5,000,  of  the  value  of 
$20,000.  Boots  and  shoes  were  made  to  the  amount 
of  $12,000.  Strawberries  were  raised  to  the  value 
of  $3,300.  There  were  40  horses  in  town  and  34 
oxen. 

When  business  drifted  to  larger  centres,  when 
the  small  shops  could  no  longer  compete  with  the 
great  factories,  when  those  who  had  built  up  the 
town's  industries  passed  away,  a  blight  fell  upon 
the  town  from  which  it  has  never  recovered.  The 
names  of  tlie  men  whose  energy,  business  capacity 


162  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

and  public  spirit  made  Manchester  so  well  known  a 
few  decades  ago,  are  still  remembered  among  us ;  a 
few  articles  of  fine  workmanship  are  still  turned  out, 
reminders  of  the  town's  former  mechanical  pride ; 
but  the  thrift  and  enterprise  of  half  a  century  ago 
are  almost  a  myth  to  the  present  inhabitants,  as  well 
as  to  those  who  for  health  or  fashion  or  pleasure, 
nowseek  these  romantic  shores.  The  cabinet-making 
industry  is  fast  becoming  but  a  memory,  but  it  is  a 
memory  worth  embalming. 


Note.  —  The  following  List  of  the  Cabinet  Man- 
ufacturers of  Manchester,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  found 
reasonably  complete.  Those  marked  C)  had  mills 
connected  with  their  factories;  other  mill  proprietors, 
not  in  the  manufacturing  business,  were  Lord  and 
Lee,  Bailey  and  Bingham,  and  Euos  G.  Allen. 

Moses  Dodge,  Ebenezer  Tappan,  Larkin  Wood- 
berry,  Eben  Tappan,  Long  and  Danforth  (afterward 
J.  Danforth,  and  Leach,  Anable  &  Co.),''  Kelham  and 
Fitz,"'  Henry  F.  Lee,  Isaac  Allen,  Jerry  Danforth,'' 
S.  O.  Boardman,  John  Perry  Allen,''  Smith  and  Low, 
Cyrus  Dodge,''  Luther  and  Henry  T.  Bingham,  John 
C.  Long  &  Co.,  H.  P.  &  S.  P.  Allen,  Samuel  Par- 
sons, Allen  and  Ames,  Albert  E.  Low,  Isaac  S.  Day, 
William  Hoyt,  John  C.  Webb,  Severance  and 
Jewett  (afterward  A.  W.  Jewett,  and  A.  S.  &  G.  W. 
Jewett),  William  Johnson,  C.  B.  Hoyt,  Warren  C. 
Dane,  Felker  and  Cheever,  Hanson,  Morgan  &  Co., 
E.  S.  Vennard,  William  E.  Wheaton,  Charles  Lee, 
John  C.  Peabody,  Isaac  Ayers,  Crombie  &  Morgan, 


THE    CABINET-MAKING.  163 

Eufus  Stanley,''  William  Decker,  Watson,  Taylor  & 
Co.,  Rust  and  Marshall,^  John  M.  and  Charles  C. 
Dodge,''  Samuel  L.  Wheaton. 

"  The  nobility  of  labor — -the  long  pedigree  of  toil." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ANTI- SLAVERY   DAYS, 


"  God  fills  the  gaps  of  human  need,  •» 
Each  crisis  brings  its  word  and  deed." 

Whittier. 

"  Then  to   share   with    truth   is   noble,    when   we   share  her 

Y/retched  crust. 
Ere  her  cause  bring  fame  or  profit,  and  'tis  prosperous  to  be 

just." 

Loioell. 

"  No  one  who  serves  the  truth,  even  if  he  sacrilice  his  life  for 
it,  can  do  as  much  for  the  truth,  no,  not  by  an  hundred  fold, 
as  the  service  of  the  truth  will  do  for  him." 

W.  H.  Furness,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER  TX. 

ANTI-SLAVERY    DAYS. 

FREEDOM    AND    SLAVERY  —  EARLY    HISTORY     OP    SLAVERY  — 
SLAVES  IN  MANCHESTER  —  EARLY  ANTI-SLAVERY  SEIJ- 
TIMENT  —  GKOAVING   OPPOSITION   TO    SLAVERY 
—  FUGITIVE  SLAVE  LAW  —  MASS  MEET- 
ING—  ANTI-SLAVERY  MEETINGS 
AND     SPEAKERS  —  "  THE 
UNDERGROUND  RAIL- 
ROAD " —  RETRO- 
SPECT. 

THE  seeds  of  freedom  and  slavery  were  planted 
in  this  conntiy  in  the  same  twelvemonth.  In 
1620,  the  jNIiyflower  brought  the  Pilgrims  to 
Plymouth;  in  1620,  a  Dutch  man-of-war  entered 
James  River  in  Virginia,  "  and  sold  twenty  negars." 
Thus  two  opposite  types  of  civilization  grew  side  by 
side.  Down  to  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  the 
whole  power  of  England  supported  and  encouraged 
the  African  slave-trade.  Under  that  encouragement 
.nore  than  300,000  slaves  were  imported  into  the 
thirteen  colonies.  The  evil  gradually  extended 
itself,  and  became  "  rooted  in  the  habits  of  the  peo- 
ple, especially  in  the  Southern  States."  The  inven- 
tion of  the  cotton-gin  made  slavery  a  source  of  great 
wealth,  and  it  speedily  grew  to  be  an  enormous 
power. 

When  slaves  Avere  first  held  in  Manchester,  there 
are  no  means  of  determining.     They  are  mentioned 


168  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

under  the  designation  of  "  servants  "  and  "  servants 
for  life,"  in  the  Assessors'  books,  as  early  as  1760, 
but  they  were  doubtless  here  before.  It  is  not  sup- 
posed that  there  were  ever  more  than  seven  or  eight 
slaves  at  one  time  in  town.  They  are  known  to 
h;ive  been  owned  by  only  two  or  three  families. 
Their  condition,  no  doubt,  was  rather  that  of  in- 
dented servants  than  slaves. 

As  early  as  1775,  a  lecture  on  "  The  Beauties  of 
Civil  Liberty,  and  the  Horrors  of  Slavery "  was 
given  in  town  by  some  one  whose  name  has  not 
come  down  to  us.  It  is  a  tradition  that  the  right  of 
liberty  was  claimed  for  all  men  irrespective  of  color 
or  race.  It  -would  seem  that  this  address  must  have 
been  an  effective  one,  for  we  find  no  mention  of 
slaves,  or  "  servants,"  as  taxable  property  in  town 
after  this  date.  An  anti-slavery  sentiment  may  thus 
early  in  its  history  have  found  place  in  the  town. 

In  all  the  momentous  events  of  the  first  half  of 
the  century,  including  the  Missouri  Compromise,  the 
passage  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  and  the  Kansas- 
Nebraska  Bill,  Manchester  people  took  a  lively 
interest,  and  watched  the  veering  political  weather- 
cock with  eagle  eye.  The  seeds  of  anti-slavery  sen- 
timent, which  for  years  had  been  liberally  sowed, 
brought  forth  their  fruit.  It  is  now  matter  of  his- 
tory, though  then  known  to  but  few,  that  there  were 
men  in  town  belonging  to  a  secret  organization, 
pledged  to  the  shielding  and  defending  of  fugitive 
slaves,  in  any  and  every  extremity.  In  1853,  the 
following  resolutions  were  adopted  in  town  meeting: 

"  Wherkas,  The  action  of  the  United  States  Senate,  in 


ANTI-SLAVERY   DAYS.  169 

the  introduction  and  passage  of  the  Xebraska  bill,  which 
contains  a  provision  for  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compro- 
mise (by  the  terms  of  which  slavery  or  involuntary  servi- 
tude was  forever  excluded  from  all  the  vast  territory  ac- 
quired by  purchase  of  France),  thereby  prostituting  the 
patrimony  of  Freedom  to  the  detestable  purposes  of  slavery: 
therefore 

"  Eesolved,  That  we  view  with  alarm  and  indignation,  this 
attempt  of  the  slave  power  to  enlarge  the  area  of  slavery,  by 
the  violation  of  compacts  and  trampling  on  the  rights  of 
man. 

"2d,  Eesolved,  That  we  hold  the  Representatives  of  the 
North,  who  may  vote  for  the  violation  of  the  Missouri  Com- 
promise, as  false  to  the  glorious  cause  of  Freedom  and 
recreant  to  the  dictates  of  Humanity. 

"  3d,  Besolved,  That  the  Town  Clerk  be  instructed  to 
forward  a  copy  of  these  Resolutions  to  our  Representative 
in  Congress,  Charles  W.  Upham." 

The  strong  Free  Soil  sentiment  of  the  town 
showed  itself  also  in  another  direction.  In  1853, 
Manchester  did  itself  the  honor  to  elect  Richard  H. 
Dana,  Jr.,  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Convention. 
That  Mr.  Dana  was  highly  gratified  is  shown  by  the 
entry  in  his  Diary,  March  8: 

"  I  had  the  compliment  of  being  elected  from  Manches- 
ter by  a  clear  majority  over  all  others  on  the  first  ballot.  I 
have  also  the  satisfaction  to  know  that  I  was  elected  with- 
out a  coalition,  and  am  therefore  under  obligations  to  no 
party  to  which  I  do  not  belong.  The  Free  Soil  party  nomi- 
nated me,  and  I  accepted  the  nomination  in  a  letter.  The 
Democrats  refused  to  unite  in  this  nomination,  and  ran  a 
separate  candidate.  The  ^Miigs  also  had  a  separate  candi- 
date. But  there  were  enough  of  the  old  parties  to  vote  for 
me  voluntarily  to  secure  my  election."  ^ 

i  liichard  Henry  Dana,  A  Biography,  by  C.  F.  Adams,  vol.  I,  pp.  229, 
230. 


170  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Mr.  Dana,  was  one  of  the  acknowledged  leaders 
and  hardest  workers  in  the  Convention. 

On  Sept.  11,  1856,  the  Free  Soilers  of  Essex 
County  held  a  mass  convention  in  Manchester,  in 
the  interest  of  Fremont,  as  candidate  for  the  presi- 
dency. The  gathering  was  held  at  Gale's  Point, 
and  not  less  than  eight  thousand  were  present. 
Mammoth  tents  w^ere  erected,  in  which  distinguished 
speakers  addressed  the  crowds.  Henry  Kitfield  was 
chairman  of  the  committee  of  arrangements.  Hon. 
Charles  W.  Upham  of  Salem  was  president  of  the 
day.  Among  the  speakers  were  Edwin  P.  Whipple, 
Richard  H.  Dana,  Jr.,  Senator  Wilson,  Ex-Governor 
Kent  of  Maine,  and  Hon.  John  Z.  Goodrich. 

The  town  was  early  astir  with  the  arrivals  from 
various  directions  and  by  various  modes  of  convey- 
ance. Large  delegations  were  present  from  many 
of  the  towns  of  the  County,  with  bands,  banners 
and  various  mottoes,  watchwords  and  devices. 
Many  of  the  inhabitants  showed  their  interest  and 
zeal  by  handsomely  decorating  their  residences  and 
erecting  arches  at  several  localities. 

The  Anti-Slavery  people  held  frequent  meetings 
in  town,  employed  the  best  sj)eakers,  and  exerted  a 
deep  and  widespread  influence.  The  National  Era 
and  the  Liberator  had  many  readers,  and  contributed 
much  to  the  education  of  the  community  in  the 
principles  of  Abolitionism.  The  movement  met 
with  much  opposition,  especially  from  the  Whig.-, 
who  feared  the  loss  of  votes  more  than  the  Demo- 
crats. "  Leading  abolitionists  were  subjected  to  a 
sort  of  social  and  religious  ostracism,  by  some  who 


AXTI-SL AVERY    DAYS.  171 

prided  themselves  on  their  wealth  and  high  social 
position.  They  were  talked  about  as  enemies  of 
religion,  dangerous  to  the  peace  and  good  order  of 
society,  likened  to  the  worst  of  the  French  Revo- 
lutionists." But  the  friends  of  freedom  were  not  to 
be  daunted,  and  while  some  of  the  earlier  adherents 
fell  away,  others  took  their  place,  and  the  society 
had  enrolled  on  its  list  of  membership  over  one 
hundred  names. 

At  the  time  of  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  excite- 
ment, a  meeting  was  held  at  which  strong  resolutions 
were  presented,  denouncing  the  Law  as  "most  un- 
righteous and  oppressive,"  and  as  a  "monstrous  stride 
backward  from  the  progressive  and  Christian  civiliza- 
tion of  the  age."  The  adoption  of  the  resolutions 
was  opposed  by  Mr.  John  P.  Allen,  "  then  wielding 
considerable  influence  and  power  in  town."  Mr. 
Allen  was  replied  to  by  some  of  the  leading  aboli- 
tionists ;  Elder  P.  R.  Russell,  Baptist  minister, 
"  made  a  powerful  speech  against  the  Law."  The 
resolutions  were  passed  almost  unanimously.  The 
resolutions  were  drawn  up  by  Rev.  O.  A.  Taylor, 
but  Mr.  Taylor  soon  after  "  Aveakened  in  his  opposi- 
tion to  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law."  It  was  a  time 
wlien  many  flinched  and  failed.  The  Whig-party 
leaders  cracked  the  whip,  and  multitudes  cowed 
before  it. 

One  of  the  most  remarkable  developments  of  the 
Anti-Slavery  movement  in  town,  and  one  which 
was  almost  without  a  parallel,  was  the  organization 
and  maintaining  of  an  "  Anti-Slavery  Prayer-meet- 
ing."    "  In  some  respects,"  says  one  of  the  survivors. 


172  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

"  it  was  one  of  the  most  singular  prayer-meetings 
formed  in  Manchester  or  anywhere  else."  "  The 
services  of  the  meetings  were  prayer,  sacred  songs, 
readings  from  Anti-Slavery  publications  and  brief 
discussions."  "  It  could  not  be  urged  that  this  was 
an  anti-church  meetino-.  It  was  org-anized  and  con- 
trolled  by  church-members,  and  the  services  were 
always  of  a  serious  and  religious  character." 

After  the  formation  of  the  Republican  party,  the 
work  of  the  Abolition  Society,  so  far  as  politics  was 
concerned,  was  in  a  great  measure  transferred  to  the 
Republican  Town  Committee,  and  the  Manchester 
Abolition  Society  ceased  to  be.  But  during  its 
existence  it  exerted  a  great  influence,  and  it  left 
behind  it  a  worthj^  history.  It  did  much  to  mould 
public  sentiment ;  it  ploughed  deep  furrows  and 
sowed  much  good  seed  in  the  moral  soil  of  the  com- 
munity. The  great  leaders  of  the  movement  were 
frequently  heard  ;  '  the  meetings  were  large  and  en- 
thusiastic. The  princijiles  which  were  set  forth  in 
pungent  and  powerful  sentences  on  the  platform  were 
discussed  through  the  week  in  the  shops  and  stores ; 
and  so  general  a  response  did  the  arguments  and 
appeals  for  Freedom  against  Slavery  meet  with,  that 
Manchester  was  classed  among  "  the  banner  towns 
of  Essex  County."  A  few  of  the  "  old  guard  "  still 
remain  to  rehearse  the  story  of  those  stirring  times. 
But  for  the  most  part,  the  scenes  are  fast  becoming 
dim,  and   the   heroic   struggles  and  sacrifices  of  the 


1  Among  them  were  W.  L.  Garrison,  J.  M.  Buffnm,  S.  S.  Foster,  Parker 
Pillsbury,  Fred.  Douglas,  C.  C.  Burleigh,  Lucy  Stone,  C.  L.  Remond, 
Theodore  D.  Weld. 


ANTI-SLAVERY    DAYS.  173 

pioneers  of    the   cause    of    Emancipation   will    soon 
remain  but  a  tradition  among  us. 

One  romantic  incident,  at  least,  belongs  to  this 
period.  The  time  is  not  precisely  known  —  it  was 
"  sometime  in  the  fifties "  ;  these  men  who  were 
making  history  were  careless  about  writing  it.  The 
dramatis '  personce  were  a  hunted  fugitive  from 
Southern  slavery,  and  two  or  three  friends  of  free- 
dom, who  were  willing  to  risk  something  to  befriend 
a  fellow-being  in  distress  and  danger,  even  though 
his  skin  was  a  few  shades  darker  than  their  own. 
The  fugitive  appeared  in  the  village  on  a  dark, 
rainy,  chilly  evening  in  the  spring,  having  missed 
the  main  track  of  tlie  Underground  Railroad  at 
Salem.  There  was  one  home  to  receive  him,  there 
was  one  friend  to  help  him  :  wet  and  cold  and 
trembling,  he  took  him  to  his  own  house,  fed, 
warmed  and  clothed  him.  The  next  day,  which 
was  Sunday,  the  poor  man's  habiliments  were  re- 
paired and  put  in  order  by  the  good  wife  of  another 
leader  in  the  Anti-Slavery  ranks,  a  little  money  was 
collected,  and  early  on  Monday  morning,  the  grate- 
ful but  still  fearful  stranger  was  guided  on  his  way 
toward  the  next  "  underground  "  station.  He  was 
afterwards  heard  from  in  Canada,  safe  beneath  the 
protection  of  the  British  flag.  The  names  of  the 
men  who  sheltered  and  befriended  the  fleeing  bond- 
man, at  such  personal  risk,  are  worthy  of  being  en- 
rolled among  the  benefactors  of  the  human  race. 
They  are  Daniel  W.  Friend,  Delucena  L.  Bingham, 
Thomas  W.  Gentlee.  Others  sympathized  and 
helped,  but  these  stand  easily  as  "the  first  three." 


174  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

The  time  was  one  not  only  of  earnest  thouglit 
and  discussion,  and  of  unselfish  devotion,  but  of 
manful  and  heroic  action.  It  Avas  an  education  in 
itself  of  no  mean  value.  It  was  an  experience  which 
prepared  the  people  for  the  stern  scenes  which  were 
to  follow.  It  lifted  the  moral  sense  of  the  commu- 
nity to  a  distinctly  higher  plane  ;  it  purified  and 
energized  the  public  conscience ;  it  magnified  and 
made  honorable  the  "higher  law."  It  was  one  of 
the  great  historic  periods  in  the  life  of  Manchester, 
worthy  to  be  classed  with  the  strenuous  times  of  tlie 
Kevolution  and  the  Civil  War. 

It  is  difficult  for  us  to  conceive  the  odium  which 
attached  to  the  early  Anti-Slavery  movement.  We 
liave  at  last  reached  the  time  when,  so  far  as  the 
negro  is  concerned,  "  'tis  prosperous  to  be  just." 
But  fifty  years  ago,  to  be  suspected  of  sympathy  for 
the  slave  was  to  be  ostracized  socially,  politically, 
and,  in  some  cases,  religiously.  Mr.  Eminent 
Respectability  regarded  the  whole  thing  as  low  and 
vulgar.  The  friends  of  Lilierty  were  anathematized 
as  pestilent  fanatics  and  disturbers  of  the  peace.  To 
oppose  the  slave  power  was  to  confront  mobs,  perse- 
cution, and,  sometimes,  death.  To  attend  Anti- 
Slavery  meetings  placed  one  outside  the  pale  of 
polite  society.  According  to  every  just  estimate, 
the  men  and  women  of  fifty  and  sixty  years  ago, 
who  braved  public  opinion  to  esjiouse  the  cause  of 
the  slave,  are  to  be  ranked  among  the  heroes  of  the 
race.     Their  names 

"  On  Fame's  eternal  bead-roll  are  worthy  to  be  filed." 


CHAPTER  X. 
THE  WAR  FOR  THE  UNION. 


"The  hero's  deeds  and  hard-won  fame  shall  live." 

Ovid. 

"  A  war  to  preserve  national  independence,  life  and  honor, 
is  a  war  just,  necessary,  manly  and  pious,  and  we  are  bound  to 
persevere  in  it,  by  every  jirinciple,  human  and  divine,  as  long 
as  the  system  which  menaces  them  has  an  existence." 

Edmund  Burke. 

"  Mine  eyes  have  seen  the  s^oiT  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord; 
He  is  trampling  out  the  vintage  where  the  grapes  of  wrath  are 

stored ; 
He  hath   loosed   the   fateful   lightning    of   His  terrible  swift 
sword ; 

His  truth  is  marching  on." 
Battle  Hymn  of  the  RepuhUc,  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe. 


CHAPTER    X. 

THE    WAR    FOE,    THE    UNION. 

THE    AWAKENING  —  THE    MUSTERING    OF    THE    NORTH  —  MAN- 
CHESTER'S TVAR   RECORD  — •  HEROISM   AND   SUFFERING 
—  THE    CLOSE    OF   THE    WAR  —  JOY   AND    SOR- 
ROW—  WAR  MEMORIALS  —WOMEN  IN 
THE   AVAR  —  COMPENSATIONS. 

THE  causes  of  the  War  for  the  Union  must  be 
sought  in  the  "  irrepressible  conflict "  between 
Freedom  and  Slavery,  that  had  lonsf  been 
going  on,  both  North  and  South.  We  were  in  "a 
place  where  two  seas  met."  Following  the  election 
of  Lincoln  in  1860,  came  the  secession  of  State  after 
State  from  the  Union,  the  removal  of  troops,  ships, 
and  military  and  naval  stores  to  Southern  cities, 
arsenals,  forts  and  dock-yards ;  while  the  North 
looked  helplessly  on,  drifting  into  the  vortex  of  civil 
strife.  The  winter  of  1860-61  was  one  of  great 
anxiety  and  suspense.  There  was  the  gravest  doubt 
in  the  minds  of  many,  in  this  country  as  well  as  in 
Europe,  whether  the  Great  Republic  would  "  disap- 
pear from  the  roll  of  nations,  or  whether  it  would 
survive  the  storm  that  had  gathered  over  its 
head." 

But  when  the  first  gun  was  fired  on  Fort  Sumter, 
there  was  at  once  a  wonderful  uprising  throughout 


178  HISTOEY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

the  North.  Men  of  all  shades  of  political  com- 
plexion became  as  one ;  old-school  Abolitionists, 
Free  Soilers,  Democrats  and  "  Conscience  Whigs," 
forgot  their  differences  and  ceased  their  contentions. 
There  was  for  a  time  but  one  party  at  the  North, 
and  that  was  the  party  of  the  Union.  A  flame  of 
patriotic  fire  ran  through  the  loyal  States,  and  men 
of  all  parties  and  creeds  rallied  to  the  defence  of  the 
old  Flag. 

Who  that  lived  at  that  time  can  ever  forget  those 
memorable  days  —  the  intense  excitement,  the  ex- 
pectations often  followed  by  disappointment,  the 
ardor  often  succeeded  by  hope  deferred,  the  sorrows, 
tragedies,  triumphs  and  joys,  the  sad  tidings  of 
defeat,  the  glad  pseans  of  victory,  the  long-drawn 
contest,  evoking  every  generous  and  patriotic  im- 
pulse, overshadowing  all  private  and  mercenary 
interests,  ending  at  last  in  the  overthrow  of  treason, 
the  abolition  of  slavery,  the  preservation  of  the 
Union  ? 

Manchester  was  not  wanting  in  those  great  days. 
The  town  met  every  call,  kept  its  quota  full,  and  was 
represented  on  almost  every  battle-field  of  the  War. 

The  whole  number  of  men  furnished  by  the  town  for  the 
Army  and  Navy  was  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine ;  of  wliom 
twenty-four  reenlisted  and  were  counted  a  second  time  to 
the  credit  of  the  town,  making  a  total  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty-three  men,  furnished  under  different  calls,  besides 
the  town's  proportion  of  the  State  naval  credits  at  large. ^ 

Five  enlisted  on  the  first  call  for  75,000  men  for  three 
months. 

1  A  classified  list  of  names  of  all  in  the  service  will  be  found  in  Ap- 
pendix F. 


THE    WAR    FOR   THE    UNION.  179 

Sixty-eight  enlisted  to  serve  for  three  years  or  during  the 
War,  and  for  no  bounty. 

Twenty-one  enlisted  for  three  years,  receiving  a  bounty 
from  the  town  and  State. 

Seven  were  drafted,  July  10,  1863,  for  three  yeai-s,  and 
served  until  discharged  at  the  end  of  the  War,  excepting 
one  who  died  in  the  service. 

Twenty-three  enlisted  and  served  for  nine  months,  and 
received  from  the  town  a  bounty  of  one  hundred  dollars 
each. 

Twenty-three  enlisted  for  one  year,  who  received  a  bounty 
from  the  town  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars 
each. 

Fourteen  enlisted  for  one  hundred  days,  and  received  no 
bounty. 

Three  paid  commutation  money,  and  one  furnished  a 
substitute.  , 

Eleven  enlisted  and  served  in  the  naval  service. 

Sixteen  died  in  the  military  and  two  in  the  naval 
service. 

Four  were  killed  in  battle. 

Two  died  from  wounds  received  in  action. 

Seven  were  taken  j^risoners,  of  whom  three  were  ex- 
changed, and  four  died  in  prison. 

Twenty-six  were  discharged  by  reason  of  disease  con- 
tracted in  the  service,  and  wounds  received  in  action. 

Forty-eight  were  discharged  by  reason  of  expiration  of 
term  of  service. 

Sixty  were  in  service  at  the  close  of  the  War,  and  were 
discharged  under  General  Order  of  the  War  Dej)artment. 

Eighteen  served  through  the  War,  first  enlisting  in  the 
summer  and  fall  of  18G1,  reenlisting  at  the  end  of  two 
years,  and  of  these,  two  were  among  those  who  responded 
to  the  first  call  of  the  President,  April,  1861. 

The  number  of  commissioned  officers  was  four. 

Eighty-four  of  these  men  were  natives  of  the  town,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-nine  were  natives  of  the  United  States, 
twenty  were  foreigners,  and  three  negroes. 


180  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Twenty,  at  least,  and  probably  more,  natives  of  the  town 
residing  elsewhere,  were  actively  engaged  in  the  War,  eight 
of  whom  died  in  the  service,  three  of  them  in  Rebel  prisons. 
Two  of  them  were  commissioned  officers,  one  a  Captain  and 
one  a  Lieutenant  Colonel. 

The  whole  amount  of  money  paid  by  the  town  for  boun- 
ties and  expenses  of  recruiting  was  seven  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  eighty-five  dollars  (S7,885).  The  whole 
amount  of  aid  furnished  soldiers'  families  to  March  1, 1866, 
was  seventeen  thousand  four  hundred  and  ninety-eight  dol- 
lars ($17,498).^  Besides  this  sum,  two  hundred  and  forty- 
seven  dollars  ($247)  was  paid  by  the  town,  not  to  be  reim- 
bursed by  the  State.  The  estimated  increase  of  the  town 
debt  by  reason  of  the  war  was  ten  thousand  dollars 
(S10,000). 

Manchester  can  look  back  upon  her  war  record 
with  gratitude  and  honest  ptide. 

"  Few  towns  of  a  like  population  can  show  a  better 
record  as  regards  the  number  of  her  own  citizens  sent  into 
the  conflict,  there  being  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  who 
were  citizens  of  the  town  out  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
—  the  whole  number  sent.  The  town  may  well  congratu- 
late herself  on  the  record  she  has  made  in  the  great  work 
of  preserving  the  unity,  integrity  and  freedom  of  the  nation, 
inasmuch  as  so  man}^  of  her  own  sons  went  forth  to  do  and 
to  die  for  the  common  weal."  ^ 

Their  deeds  are  their  monument,  more  lasting 
than  marble  or  brass,  in  the  hearts  of  their  grateful 
countrymen.  The  Records  of  our  Soldiers  and  Sea- 
men ^  in  the  Rebellion,  as  preserved  in  a  sumptuous 

1  Reimbursed  by  the  State. 

2  Special  report  of  the  Selectmen,  March  19,  1866. 

3  While  we  oftenest  speak  of  the  Army  and  the  Soldiers,  we  should 
never  forget  the  part  borne  by  the  Navy  in  the  Great  Conflict.  If  it  had 
not  been  for  the  efficiency  of  the  blockade  service,  the  operations  on  the 
Carolina  coast,  at  Mobile  and  New  Orleans,  and  the  opening  and  holding  of 
the  Mississippi,  a  fatal  blow  to  the  Confederacy,  the  history  of  the  War 
would  have  been  very  differently  written. 


THE    WAR    FOR    THE    UXIOX.  181 

volume  '  in  the  archives  of  Post  67,  G.  A.  R,,  fur- 
nish a  mine  of  information  and  a  noble  memorial  of 
Manchester  in  the  War. 

These  men  went  forth  from  the  fireside  and  the 
workshop,  from  the  plough  and  the  tiller,  from  the 
mill  and  the  counting-room,  not  to  carry  on  a  war  of 
aggression,  but  to  defend  the  honor  and  liberty  of 
the  Country,  and  maintain  the  Constitution  and  the 
Laws.  They  Avere  citizen-soldiers,  bearing  with 
them  to  the  camjD,  the  bivouac  and  the  field,  the  best 
influences  of  a  Puritanic  ancestry,  and  of  training  in 
the  town  meeting,  the  church,  the  home  and  the  com- 
mon school.  They  were  surrounded  and  followed 
by  the  anxieties  and  hopes,  the  prayers  and  blessings 
of  parents,  brothers,  sisters,  sweethearts,  wives  and 
children.  They  were  overshadowed  and  environed 
by  all  the  loving  and  patriotic  wishes  and  aspira- 
tions of  friends  and  kindred,  and  by  the  memories 
and  traditions  of  a  hundred  years.  When  they  fell, 
they  were  borne  tenderly  to  their  resting-place  with 
prayer  and  dirge.  When  they  returned,  worn,  sick 
and  dying,  they  were  received  with  flowing  tears 
and  open  arms.  When  at  last  the  survivors  marched 
home  from  Appomattox  and  the  honors  of  the  Grand 
Review,  the  welkin  rang  with  plaudits,  and  every 
heart  gave  welcome  to  the  returning  heroes  of  the 
Union  and  the  Flag. 

On  the  conclusion  of  the  War,  the  town  took  suit- 
able action  in  view  of  the  quickly  recurring  events, 
which  is  still  fresh  in  the  memory  of  many  still  liv- 
ing.    For  those  whose  lives  have  been  lived  since 

1  The  gift  of  Russell  Sturgis,  Esq. 


182  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

those  momentous  times,  a  brief  record  is  here  in 
place.  In  the  Town  Records  is  found  the  fol- 
lowing : 

"  Manchester,  1865. 

"  Monday,  April  3d,  of  this  year,  was  a  day  of  great  re- 
joicing. In  the  morning  we  heard  our  army  had  achieved  a 
great  victory  over  the  enemy,  but  none  of  us  dared  to  be- 
lieve Eichmond  would  fall  so  soon,  if  at  all.  So  in  the 
afternoon  when  the  dispatch  announcing  the  occupation  of 
Richmond  by  our  forces  was  received,  the  people  mani- 
fested their  joy  by  triumphant  shouts,  excited  congratula- 
tions and  the  ringing  of  bells.  So  long  had  we  hoped  for 
this  event  and  so  long  had  our  hopes  been  deferred,  our 
faith  had  grown  weak,  but  now  great  joy  fell  upon  us  and 
we  celebrated. 

"  April  10ti\  1865." 

One  week  later  tlie  news  was  received  of  Lee's 
surrender.  The  enthusiasm  of  the  people  was  im- 
mediate and  intense.  Arrangements  were  at  once 
made  for  a  day  of  public  rejoicing.  The  date  was 
April  11,  1865.  The  following  account  is  from  the 
Salem  Register  : 

"  Yesterday  was  a  daylong  to  be  remembered.  At  an 
early  hour  we  were  aroused  by  the  ringing  of  bells  and  the 
glad  shout,  '  Lee  and  his  whole  army  have  surrendered.' 

"  Col.  T.  E.  Tannatt  and  Lewis  IST.  Tappan  had  made 
haste  to  ride  from  your  city  with  the  joyful  tidings.  The 
people  of  the  town  were  soon  astir,  flags  were  unfolded' 
and  flung  to  the  breeze,  drums  and  fifes  brought  out,  a 
procession  formed  and  marched  to  the  depot,  where  short 
speeches  for  the  occasion  were  made  by  Rev.  E.  P.  Tenney 
and  Rev.  Mr.  Thayer,  author  of  the  '  J3obbin  Boy.'  These 
speakers  leaving  in  the  eaily  train,  the  jn'ocession  returned 
to  the  common,  where  a  stage  was  erected  at  the  foot  of  the 
flag-staff,  from  which  Rev.  F.  V.  Tenney  read  the  despatch 
announcing  the  surrender  of  Lee, 


THE    WAR    FOE    THE    UNION.  183 

*' Several  citizens  addressed  the  people,  setting  forth  in 
befitting  terms  the  glories  of  the  day.  Col.  Tannatt  and 
Mr.  Tappan  also  favored  us  with  remarks  pertinent  to  the 
glorious  realities  of  the  occasion. 

"  Loud  and  repeated  cheers  were  given  for  the  speakers, 
President  Lincoln,  his  generals  and  the  heroic  soldiers  of 
the  army.  'America,'  'Rally  round  the  Flag,  Boys,'  and 
'  John  Brown  '  were  sung  with  thrilling  effect.  Allusions 
were  made  by  most  of  the  speakers  to  that  '  monster  sin ' 
which  had  well-nigh  been  our  ruin.  One  of  them  was 
pleased  to  read  an  extract  from  '  Helper's  Impending  Crisis,' 
the  same  being  a  warning  found  in  Jeremiah  34  ch.  17  verse. 
To  make  his  point  stronger  the  speaker  read  the  following 
extract  from  a  letter  written  in  May,  1847,  by  a  former 
clergyman  of  this  town  (Rev.  O.  A.  Taylor)  while  journey- 
ing in  the  border  States: 

"  '  Slavery  must  and  will  be  destroyed.  It  is  inconsistent 
with  the  spirit  of  our  institutions.  Freedom  frowns  upon 
it  from  every  quarter  of  our  land.  The  world  is  against  it. 
God's  curse  rests  upon  it.  If  let  alone  it  will  sooner  or 
later  poison  itself  to  death,  as  do  some  serpents  under  the 
very  malignancy  of  their  own  venom.' 

"  The  speaker  had  carried  this  prophecy  in  his  pocket 
for  eighteen  years,  and  for  the  most  part  of  the  time,  with 
but  faint  hopes  of  ever  witnessing  its  fulfillment,  but  to-day 
he  was  glad,  and  thought  the  prophecy  of  an  orthodox 
clergyman  equal  to  that  of  Jeremiah.  After  other  congrat- 
ulatory exercises  the  procession  re-formed  and  marched 
through  different  sections  of  the  town. 

"  In  the  afternoon  the  fire  department  turned  out  and 
with  the  citizens  escorted  four  wounded  soldiers,  three  of 
whom  had  lost  a  leg  and  one  an  arm,  through  the  principal 
streets  amid  the  waving  of  fiags  and  the  ringing  of  bells. 
Notwithstanding  the  rain  the  enthusiasm  was  unabated, 
and  at  an  early  hour  in  the  evening  the  Baptist  Church  was 
filled  with  joyous  people  of  both  sexes. 

"  John  Lee  was  elected  as  the  presiding  officer  and  Rev. 
F.  V.  Tenney  invoked  the  divine  blessing.     The  exercises 


184  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

'vrere  all  of  a  very  iuteresting  character,  consisting  of  singing 
by  the  choirs  of  the  several  religious  societies,  joined  in  jDart 
by  the  assembly,  and  of  congratulatory  addresses  from  the 
several  clergymen  of  the  town,  and  from  other  citizens, 
intermingled  with  cheers  for  the  different  speakers  and  for 
the  great  successes  we  celebrated  —  not  forgetting  the  brave 
bo3'S  now  absent  and  the  equally  deserving  who  have  re- 
turned, nor  the  20  of  our  heroic  dead,  5  of  whom  died  on 
\he  field  of  battle,  3  in  rebel  prisons ,  and  the  rest  in  hospitals 
or  at  home.  Tears  were  in  many  eyes  in  memory  of  those 
departed  heroes. 

"A  collection  for  the  Christian  Commission  was  taken 
up.  Altogether  it  was  a  day  of  Jubilee,  and  one  we  may 
all  rejoice  to  have  been  permitted  to  see.  E.  R.  N." 

Four  days  later,  April  15,  the  heart  of  the  nation 
was  plunged  in  grief  and  consternation,  by  the  news 
of  the  assassination  of  its  Chief.  From  the  Town 
Records  the  following  extract  is  made  : 

"  '  The  President  is  shot,'  and  ere  we  could  comprehend 
or  believe  the  first  despatch,  another  said,  '  Our  beloved 
President,  Abraham  Lincoln,  is  Dead.' 

"  ]Sro  words  can  describe  the  feeling  of  surprise,  grief, 
indignation  and  horror  which  seized  upon  every  one.  All 
business  was  suspended.  Funeral  sei'vices  were  held  in  the 
Congregational  Church,  opened  by  the  reading  of  the  scrip- 
tures by  Rev.  F.  Y.  Tenney,  followed  by  an  address  by 
Rev.  E.  P.  Tenney.  Chastened  and  subdued  by  the  solemn 
lessons  of  the  hour,  the  people  slowly  dispersed  to  their 
homes." 

Thus  ends,  so  far  as  the  records  are  concerned,  the 
Great  Civil  War.  But  so  long  as  patriotism,  unsel- 
fish devotion  and  daring  heroism  are  valued  by  men, 
will  the  War  for  the  Union  be  remembered  and  its 
actors  embalmed  in  oration,  story  and  song. 

Year  by  year,  the  town  recognizes  its  debt  to  the 


THE   WAE,    FOR    THE    UNION.  185 

living  and  the  dead  who  rallied  to  the  defence  of  the 
nation  in  its  hour  of  peril.  Memorial  services  give 
fitting  expression  to  the  people's  gratitude  and 
patriotism,  calling  together  the  inhabitants  without 
distinction  of  rank,  creed  or  nationality  ;  a  pathetic 
service  as  time  thins  the  ranks  and  reminds  the  sur- 
vivors that  a  few  years  will  sweep  away  every  living 
representative  of  the  Union  armies.  Let  the  Vet- 
erans meet  as  long  as  they  are  spared,  to  teach  the 
generations  that  have  come  upon  the  stage  of  action 
the  value  of  republican  institutions  and  the  indestruc- 
tible virtues  of  valor  and  patriotism,  that  the  tradi- 
tions of  generous  sacrifice  and  heroic  endeavor  may 
continue  to  inspire  the  nation  to  high  resolve,  to  lofty 
hope,  to  simple  faith,  down  to  "  the  last  syllable  of 
recorded  time."  ' 

"  It  is  wise,  in  a  nation,  to  foster  patriotism  by  px'eserv- 
ing  the  memory  of  noble  deeds  for  the  imitation  and  inspir- 
ation of  the  coming  generations.  Money  expended  in  mon- 
uments and  statuary  and  memorial  days  is  not  wasted,  but 
wisely  invested."  ^ 

All  honor  must  be  paid  to  the  noblewomen,  whose 
cheerful  courage  in  days  of  darkness  and  horror  did 
so  much  to  sustain  the  heart  of  the  nation  and  to 
nerve  the  soldier  to  his  deeds  of  unshrinking  courage 
and  endurance.  Both  during  the  War,  in  camp  and 
hospital,  and  at  home  in  many  a  ministry  of  helpful- 
ness and  affection,  did  woman  prove  herself  worthy 
of  the  honor  and  love  of  her  brothers  who  went  for 

1  It  may  be  remembered  that  a  year  ago  Commander  Maccabe  of  the 
Sons  of  Veterans  delivered  a  ringing  warning  against  the  danger  that  in 
tlie  general  merry-making,  the  real  spirit  of  Memorial  Day  might  be  for- 
gotten. 

2  Gen.  R.  Brinkcrhoff,  at  Columbus,  O. 


18G  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTEK. 

the  defence  of  home  and  country  to  the  tented  field. 
Her  example  will  live  and  pass  down  among  the 
traditions  that  will  instruct  and  animate  coming 
generations.  The  wearying  days  of  suspense,  the 
burdens  left  upon  wives  and  mothers,  the  care  of  the 
sick  and  wounded,  the  ministering  to  the  poor  and 
bereaved,  the  preparation  of  stores  for  the  camp  and 
hospital,  the  filling  of  the  place  of  husband  and 
father  often  in  the  shop  and  field  —  made  woman's 
lot  in  those  days  a  sad  and  sorrowful  one ;  but  it 
was  one  that  was  bravely  and  cheerfully  borne,  re- 
lieving the  dark  hours  of  civil  strife  with  "something 
of  an  ancrel's  ligfht." 

Of  one  thing  we  may  be  sure,  as  we  recall  the 
awful  and  protracted  contest,  and  all  that  it  achieved 
for  human  freedom  and  civilization,  that  the  stern 
strife  has  yielded  fruits  of  inestimable  value  to  our 
people  and  our  land.  Because  of  it,  we  live  freer 
and  happier  lives  to-day.  The  blood  shed  upon  a 
hundred  battle-fields  has  not  been  shed  in  vain.  It 
may  be  said  that  the  War  was  worth  all  that  it  cost, 
in  the  lifting  higher  the  standard  of  political  moral- 
ity, in  clearing  the  air  of  miasmatic  vapors,  in  break- 
ing the  fetters  of  a  nation  of  bondmen,  in  establish- 
ing the  supremacy  of  Federal  authority,  and  in  em- 
phasizing our  dependence  upon  Him  who  is  "  Gov- 
ernor among  the  nations  "  and  to  whom  "  the  shields 
of  the  earth  belong." 

If  the  lessons  of  the  War  are  forgotten  in  a  gen- 
eration of  peace  and  prosperity,  of  fast-growing  lux- 
ury and  license,  if,  our  very  success  and  greatness  as 
a  nation  prove  our  weakness,  it  will  be  only  another 


THE    WAR    FOR    THE    UNION.  187 

illustration  of  the  truth  confessed  long  ago  by  the 
Hebrew  poet,  "Except  the  Lord  build  the  house,  the}^ 
labor  in  vain  that  build  it ;  except  the  Lord  keep  the 
city,  the  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain." 


Note.  —  An  account  of  the  Dedication  of  ;:he 
Memorial  Hall  will  be  found  in  Chapter  XI,  and  of 
the  Consecration  of  the  Burial  Lot  for  the  use  of  the 
Post,  in  Appendix  C. 


CHAPTER  XI. 
THE   SUMMER   RESORT. 


"  But  times  are  alter'd." 

Goldsmith:  The  Deserted  Village. 

"I  made  me  great  works;  I  builded  me  houses  ....  I 
gathered  me  also  silver  and  gold  ....  so  that  I  was  great 
and  increased  more  than  all  they  that  were  before  me  in 
Jerusalem  ....  and  whatsoever  mine  eyes  desired  I  kejjt  not 
from  them,  I  withheld  not  my  heart  from  any  joy  ...  .  and 
this  was  my  portion  of  all  my  labor." 

Ecclesiastes. 

"Manchester  has  become  in  our  day  a  splendid  watering 
place,  known  as  such  throughout  the  United  States;  so  she 
finds  gold  eagles  stitched  into  her  dress." 

C.  A.  Baktoi.,  D.  D. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    SUMMER    KESORT. 

BEAUTY    OF    SEA    AND    SHORE  —  CO  JUNG    INTO    NOTICE  —  MAN 
AND   NATUKE — THE   SUMMER   RESIDENT — "NOBLESSE 
■     oblige" — THE    LIBRARY  —  A   UNIQUE    INSTITU- 
TION—  "for  better,  for  worse;    for 

RICHER,    FOR   POORER." 

THERE  is  no  evidence  that  the  early  settlers  and 
voyagers,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  saw  in 
the  picturesque  scenery  of  Cape  Ann  any 
beauty  that  they  should  desire  it.  The  nineteenth 
century,  even,  was  well  advanced  before  this  region 
of  wonderful  beauty  appears  to  have  attracted  any 
special  attention. 

Whose  vision  was  first  unsealed  to  the  scenic 
beauty  of  the  North  Shore,  its  wonderful  combina- 
tion of  forest  and  ocean,  receding  bay  and  winding 
inlet,  smooth  meadow  and  rocky  rampart,  neither 
history  nor  tradition  informs  us.  Nature  waited 
long  for  an  interpreter,  or  even  an  intelligent  ob- 
server —  for  a  poet  like  Whittier  or  Lucy  Larcom,  or 
a  writer  of  prose  j^oems  like  the  author  of  Corona- 
tion^ who  first  made  known  to  many  of  his  neighbors 
and  parishioners  the  beauties  and  glories  amidst 
which  they  had  lived  unconscious,  as  their  fore- 
fathers had  lived  before  them. 

The  celebrated  Harriet  Martineau,  as  guest  of 
Hon.  Stephen  C.  Phillips  of  Salem,  in  1835,  rode 


192  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

down  to  Manchester  and  over  the  "  Smith  farm," 
stopping  at  the  red  gate  which  then  closed  the  road 
to  stray  cattle,  and  looking  over  the  panorama  of 
sea  and  shore,  said,  "  It  is  enough  to  make  a  poor 
man  envious."  But  for  all  that  was  said  or  done  to 
bring  her  into  notice,  Manchester  succeeded  for 
generations,  like  a  coy  maiden,  in  concealing  her 
charms  from  an  outside  world. 

The  earliest  "summer  .resident "  was  Richard  H, 
Dana,. the  poet.  Others  had  been  here  as  summer 
boarders,  but  in  1845  Mr.  Dana,  struck  with  the 
romantic  beauty  of  the  region  about  "  Graves' 
Beach,"  purchased  some  thirty  acres  between  the 
water-line  and  the  county  road,  mostly  covered  with 
a  luxuriant  forest  growth,  and  built  the  first  sum- 
mer house,  a  plain,  substantial  mansion,  overlooking 
the  sea.  In  speaking  of  this  retreat,  Charles  Sum- 
ner pronounced  it  finer  in  point  of  location  and 
scenery  than  the  famous  Biarritz,  the  summer  resort 
of  Napoleon  III.  For  many  years  the  Dana  family 
made  this  their  summer  home.  Richard  H.  Dana, 
Jr.,  spent  several  summers  in  Manchester,  and  found 
here  a  greatly  needed  respite  from  a  laborious  pro- 
fessional life. 

Following  the  footsteps  of  the  pioneer  in  this 
direction,  many  persons  of  taste  and  culture  and 
wealth  have  made  the  town  their  summer  home, 
until  Manchester-by-the-Sea '  has  become  famous  as 

'  This  name  is  believed  to  have  originated  with  the  poet-publisher  and 
man  of  letters,  James  T.  Fields.  It  is  not  altogether  an  English  affecta- 
tion, as  might  at  first  seem  ;  there  being  a  JManchester  in  each  of  the  New 
England  States,  the  name  Manchester-by-the-Sea  serves  often  as  a  useful 
differentiation,  preventing  mail  matter  from  going  astray,  not  to  speak  of 
freight  and  passengers  even. 


THE    SUMMER    llESORT.  193 

one  of  the  most  beautiful,  and  latterly,  one  of  the 
most  fashionable  watering-places  in  the  country. 
Rev.  Dr.  Bartol  has  done  more  than  any  other  man 
to  bring  Manchester  into  notice.  By  his  early,  far- 
sighted  and  well-managed  investments,  he  has 
proved  himself  more  of  a  "  seer,"  even  from  a 
financial  and  economic  point  of  view,  than  many 
who  have  been  bred  to  the  art  of  money-making. 

It  has  been  remarked  by  a  writer '  on  physical 
geography,  that  as  the  climate  and  soil,  land  and 
water,  disposition  of  continents  and  islands,  trend  of 
mountain-slopes  and  coast-lines,  affect  human  de- 
velopment; so  inan  in  his  turn  changes  the  surface 
of  the  earth  on  which  he  lives,  alters  its  confio-ura- 
tions,  modifies  its  climate  and  productions.  One 
instance  of  this  at  hand,  on  a  small  scale,  is  seen  in 
our  own  town  and  neighborhood  in  the  preservation 
of  woodlands  and  the  cultivation  of  barren  wastes, 
in  the  opening  up  of  vistas  and  the  change  in  water- 
fronts. Acres  once  covered  with  a  tangled  growth 
of  wildwood,  and  considered  too  valueless  for  taxa- 
tion,^ have  been  threaded  by  romantic  avenues,  and 
beautified  by  lawns  and  gardens.  The  hills  that 
rim  around  the  "Cove"  have  been  adorned  with 
stately  residences,  embowered  in  natural  forests. 
On  the  "  Essex  road,"  the  woods  have  been  pre- 
served by  purchase,  through  the  efforts  and  liberality 
of  summer  residents,'  to  form  a  continuous   shaded 

1  G.  P.  Marsh :  Man  and  Nature. 

2  As  an  illustration  of  the  increase  of  land  value,  the  "White  Beach 
Pasture,"  sold  in  181)4  by  the  town  for  .$40,000,  was  a  part  of  a  farm  bought 
in  183G  for  §2,200  for  a  Poor  Farm,  with  the  town's  share  of  the  surj^lus  rev- 
enue (§28,000,000)  divided  among  the  States  by  the  Federal  government. 

3  Through  the  energetic  influence  of  Mrs.  Alice  X.  Lincoln,  a  strip  of 


194  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

drive  under  leafy  arches  and  between  mossy  and 
fern-covered  depths,  with  shafts  of  sunlight  woven 
with  waving  branches  of  hemlock,  oak  and  pine. 
The  whole  shore,  "  beautiful  for  situation,"  by  nature, 
has  been  further  beautified  by  art,  which  has  been 
made  to  wait  on  nature  rather  than  to  conceal  or 
improve  (?)  it. 

From  the  first  Richard  H.  Dana '  —  elarum  et  ven- 
erahile  nomen  —  to  the  latest  representative  of  the 
new  aristocracy,  from  senator,  ex-governor  and  min- 
ister plenipotentiary  to  champion  golf-player  and 
imported  flunkey,  from  "  tally-ho  "  to  donkey-cart, 
from  Russian  wolf-hound  to  my  lady's  lap-dog  —  an 
influence  more  or  less  perceptible,  but  often  indefin- 
able, has  been  exerted  upon  the  town  by  its  summer 
population.  It  has  furnished  a  new  social  problem. 
The  magnates  of  wealth  and  society  and  letters  who 
have  built  and  domiciled  among  us,  and  made  the 
old  roads  of  Cape  Ann  alive  with  their  varied  and 
brilliant  equipages,  have  introduced  changes  "  sur- 
passing fable,  and  yet  true." 

Year  by  year,  a  transformation  has  been  going 
on,  until  it  is  doubtful  if  the  fathers,  were  they  to 
revisit  this  earthly  scene,  would  know  the  ancient 
town.  If  the  first  rude  fish-house  on  "  Jeffrey's 
Creek "  and  the  "  Essex  County  Club-House "  of 
to-day  are  not  of  a  different  genus,  it  would  be  in- 
teresting to  know  by  what  process  of  evolution  and 

seven  rods  on  each  side  of  the  road,  for  a  greater  part  of  the  way  wa8 
secured  partly  by  gift,  but  mainly  by  purchase,  the  sum  of  §3,500  being 
contributed  for  the  purpose  by  summer  residents  in  Manchester  and  Bev- 
erly ;  the  whole  being  deeded  with  the  condition  that  the  wood  be  pre- 
served forever. 

1  The  name  is  perpetuated  in  Manchester  to  the  fourth  generation. 


THE    SUIVEVEER    RESORT.  195 

natural  selection  the  earlier  species  has  been  trans- 
formed into  the  later.  The  difference  between  the 
two  presents  at  least  a  variation  of  type  suggestive 
of  the  wonderful  metamorphoses  which  Manchester 
has  undergone  in  the  two  hundi-ed  and  fifty  years  of 
its  varied  and  romantic  history. 

But  the  gain  has  not  been  all  on  the  side  of  the 
town  so  altered  and  adorned.  From  season  to  sea- 
son it  has  received  the  invalid,  the  toiler  of  the 
counting-room  and  mart,  the  lover  of  nature,  the 
artist,  the  poet,  the  professional  man,  the  society 
dame,  the  college  student,  "  the  city's  fair,  pale 
daughter,"  the  children  of  wealth  and  pets  of 
fashion;  and  sent  them  again  to  their  homes  and  the 
routine  of  life  with  new  vigor,  with  ozone  in  the 
brain  and  spring  in  the  step,  with  the  bloom  of  the 
wild-rose  in  the  cheek,  and  the  freshness  of  the 
salty  sea  in  the  rejuvenated  frame.  The  most 
beautiful  months,  September  and  October,  with 
their  bright  skies,  crisp  and  bracing  air,  and  "  softly 
pictured  woods,"  witness  the  departure  of  the  sum- 
mer crowd,  and  Manchester  is  left  to  its  own  quiet 
loveliness,  to  the  occasional  artist,  and  the  people  of 
combined  taste  and  leisure  who  prolong  their  stay 
after  most  of  the  birds  of  passage  have  flown. 

The  period  under  review  has  been  chiefly  noted  for 
the  erection  of  many  beautiful  and  stately  private  resi- 
dences, often  of  great  cost,  and  of  architectural  display. 
Some  of  these  buildings  are  a  decided  ornament  to 
the  town,  built  in  the  old  Colonial  style  or  in  the 
picturesque  "  Queen  Anne."     A  stimulus  has  also 


196  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

been  given  to  tlie  building,  enlarging  and  improving 
of  their  dwellings  on  the  part  of  the  permanent 
residents. 

The  erection  of  the  Town  Hall  belongs  to  the 
period  under  notice.  It  was  built  in  1868.  The 
size  of  the  building  was  sixty-two  by  forty-two  feet, 
and  its  cost  -$14,000.  For  twenty  years  the  build- 
ing answered  its  purposes.  But  with  the  growth  of 
the  town,  it  was  found  at  last  inadequate  in  size 
and  in  needed  facilities  for  Town  purj)Oses.  After 
much  discussion,  and  after  many  plans '  had  been 
suggested,  the  building  was  remodelled  and  enlarged, 
in  the  summer  of  1893,  at  an  expense  of  about  $18,- 
000.  It  is  now  well  adapted  to  the  uses  of  such  a 
building,  well  lighted,  ventilated  and  heated,  with 
good  plumbing  arrangements,  and  sufficient  accom- 
modations for  many  years  to  come. 

The  finest  and  most  costly  Public  Building  that 
Manchester  has  ever  possessed  is  the  Memorial 
Library  Building.  It  is  a  gift  to  the  town  by  one 
of  the  summer  residents  and  property-holders,  Hon. 
T.  Jefferson  Coolidge.  The  Library,  which  is  the 
continuation  or  outgrowth  of  the  old  Lyceum  Lib- 
rary, passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Town  in  1871.  It 
then  consisted  of  about  one  thousand  volumes.  It 
gradually  increased  by  purchase  and  gift  vuitil  it 
reached  in  1887,  the  number  of  about  five  thousand 
volumes.  It  had  been  kept  in  quarters  that  checked 
its  growtli,  that  were  inconvenient  and  constantly 
exposed  to  danger  from  fire.  The  desirableness  of  a 
new,  commodious  and  practically  fireproof  building 
had  often  been  discussed,  especially  at  meetings  of 


it 


r-^r"^ 


THE   SUjMMER  eesoet.  197 

the  "  Elder  Brethren,"  but  no  active  steps  had  been 
taken  in  that  direction.'  In  1886,  Mr.  Coolidge 
signified  to  the  town  his  desire  to  present  to  the 
citizens  a  suitable  building  for  the  use  of  the 
Library,  including  also  a  Hall  for  the  Post  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  His  generous  offer  was  accepted,  and  a 
committee  appointed  to  superintend  the  erection, 
which  was  completed  in  the  autumn  of  the  follow- 
ing year. 

The  dedication  services  were  held  Oct.  13,  1887, 
and  attended  by  a  concourse  of  citizens  only  limited 
by  the  capacity  of  the  building.^ 

The  building  is  located  on  Union  street,  near  the 
centre  of  the  town,  and  is  constructed  of  cut  Ashlar  with 
natural  seam  face  —  that  is,  the  stone  used  was  selected  in 
the  quarries  where  it  joined  the  occasional  seams  found  in 
ledges,  where  the  moisture  and  air  works  its  way  down 
through,  giving  the  stone  a  reddish  brown  color.  The 
effect  is  to  give  the  building  a  venerable  look,  in  keeping 
with  the  architectural  design  and  general  appointments. 

In  the  western  end  of  the  building,  leading  out  from 
Memorial  Hall,  is  the  Grand  Armj^  Hall. 

The  eastern  end  of  the  building  is  occupied  by  the  library 
room.  Here  the  antique  is  especially  prominent.  The 
library  room  may  properly  be  divided  into  two  sections  — 
one  as  a  sort  of  reception  apartment  for  visitors  and  the 
other  devoted  to  the  bookcases.  Dividing  the  two  sections 
is  a  sort  of  open  partition  of  old  English  oak,  inlaid  with 
genuine  ancient  carvings  brought  from  across  the  water, 
and  centuries  old.     A  panel  in  the  partition  bears  the  Latin 

1  In  1880,  a  special  committee  reported  to  the  town  plans  for  a  Library 
Building  and  a  Memorial  Hall,  which  were  accepted ;  but  the  town  failed 
to  make  an  appropriation. 

-  A  full  account  of  the  exercises,  including  verbatim  reports  of  the 
addresses,  with  fine  photographs,  is  contained  in  a  sumptuous  volume 
printed  for  private  circulation,  entitled  Dedication  Services  of  the  Memorial 
Library,  etc. 


198  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

inscription  — BOXA  SIT  TIBI  SELECTIO  OYAE 
SICVT  BREVIS  EST  ITA  IN  AETERNVM.i  The 
ceiling  is  arched  and  finished  in  liglit  oak;  while  the  floor 
of  the  reception  portion  is  laid  with  strips  of  light  oak  in 
"  herring  bone  "  design. 

In  the  summer  of  1895,  two  bronze  tablets  were 
placed  in  Memorial  Hall,  to  the  memory  of  the 
soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  earlier  wars  and  of  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  They  were  designed  by  the  com- 
mittee on  tablets,  appointed  in  connection  with  the 
two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary,  and  cast  by 
the  Paul  Revere  Brass  Foundry,  Boston. 

The  tablets  bear  the  following  inscriptions  :^ 

I. 

ERECTED    BY   THE   TOWN 

IN    MEMORY   OF  THE 

SOLDIERS   OF  THE    EARLY   WARS 

AND   OF  THE 

SOLDIERS   AND   SAILORS 

OF  THE    WAR    OF  1812 

IN    SAVAGE   AMBUSH 

AND   ON    SEA   AS   WELL   AS    LAND 

THEY   WON 

UNDYING    FAME 

1895 

1  This  may  be  freely  translated,  "  Choose  wisely  —brief  is  the  act,  but 
the  results  are  eternal." 

2  Furnislied  by  Rev.  D.  F.  Lamson. 


THE    SUMIVEER    RESORT.  199 

II. 

IN    MEMORY   OF   THE 

SOLDIERS   AND   SAILORS 

OF   THE    REVOLUTION 

THIS   TABLET    IS    ERECTED    BY 

THEIR    GRATEFUL  TOWNSMEN 

THEY   SUFFERED 

THEY    FOUGHT 

THEY    DIED 

IN 

FREEDOM'S    CAUSE 

1895 

Manchester  seems  always  to  have  possessed  a  cer- 
tain individuality.  It  is  unique  in  its  combination 
of  land  and  ocean  scenery,  in  its  history  and  customs, 
in  the  cosmopolitan  character  of  its  later  population, 
in  the  manner  in  which  the  old  and  new  jostle  each 
other  in  its  streets,  in  its  contrast  of  antique  and 
homely  simplicity  with  the  latest  "  fads."  But  one 
of  Manchester's  most  unique  institutions  is  the  or- 
ganization known  as  the  "  Elder  Brethren."  Other 
towns  have  their  lodges,  councils,  orders,  posts,  fra- 
ternities, clubs,  of  high  and  low  degree  ;  but  no 
other  town  can  boast  of  its  "Elder  Brethren."  The 
idea  first  originated  in  the  gathering,  dating  as  far 
back  as  1870,  of  the  older  men  of  the  community  for 
the  purpose  of  eating  chowder,  renewing  oldtime 
fellowships  and  exchanging  reminiscences.  The 
thing  proved  to  have  life,  and  in  time  provided  for 


200  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

itself  an  outward  organism,  "  a  local  habitation  and 
a  name."  What  had  been  known  as  "  The  Old 
Men's  Chowder  Party"  organized,  Aug.  15,  1878, 
by  the  choice  of  George  F.  Allen  as  President,  and 
William  H.  Tappan  as  Secretary  and  Treasurer. 
These  officers  have  been  reelected  each  year.  The 
name  "  Elderlies  "  was  at  first  given  to  the  members, 
who  by  tacit  understanding  were  not  to  be  under 
fifty  years  of  age.  In  1885,  the  name  "Elder 
Brethren,"  suggested  by  Capt.  Thomas  Leach,  ap- 
pears in  the  Records.  The  same  year  the  town  built 
a  neat  and  comfortable  pavilion  at  Tuck's  Point,  wliere 
the  meetings  had  been  held,  and  a  flag-staff,  the  gift 
of  Mr.  Greely  Curtis,  was  erected,  from  which  the 
"  Stars  and  Stripes,"  with  the  banner  inscribed 
"  Elder  Brethren,"  presented  by  Capt.  Thomas 
Leach,  annually  floats. 

The  charm  of  the  gatherings  is  largely  in  their 
informal  character.  They  bring  together  in  the 
month  of  August,  from  year  to  year,  a  large  number, 
usually  over  one  hundred,  of  past  and  present  citi- 
zens of  Manchester,  who  spend  the  day  in  friendly 
greetings,  in  talking  of  "  days  of  auld  lang  syne," 
in  discussing  the  weather,  the  tariff,  the  changes 
along  the  shore,  and  the  inevitable  chowder.  Din- 
ner disposed  of,  and  an  adjournment  being  made  to 
the  open  air  and  the  shade  of  the  trees,  there  begins, 
under  the  lead  of  the  president,  as  a  kind  of  informal 
toast-master  and  prompter,  the  "  feast  of  reason  and 
flow  of  soul."  Many  are  the  wise  and  weighty 
sayings  of  these  occasions,  spiced  with  wit  and 
humor,    and    occasionally    with    somewhat    pungent 


THE    SUMMER    EESORT.  201 

hits  ;  but  there  breathes  over  all  such  an  air  of  sim- 
plicity and  frankness  and  good  nature,  that  all  is 
taken  in  good  part,  and  each  annual  gathering  is 
pronounced  at  parting  the  best. 

Many  projects  promotive  of  public  welfare  have 
been  originated  or  discussed  at  these  gatherings  ; 
among  them  may  be  mentioned  especially  the  Library 
Building,  for  the  gift  of  which  to  the  town  the  first 
inspiration  is  said  by  the  donor  to  have  come  to 
him  while  listening  to  these  informal,  after-dinner 
s^oeeches.'  The  opening  of  the  "  old  Wenham  road," 
also,  resulted  from  a  speech  made  by  Hon.  J.  War- 
ren Merrill  at  one  of  the  dinners  aforesaid  ;  a  boon 
to  lovers  of  wildwood  and  of  shaded,  winding  paths 
leading  to  Nature's  heart.  In  fact,  it  has  been  said, 
half  seriously,  that  whatever  measure  was  received 
favorably  by  the  "  Elder  Brethren",  could  be  carried 
in  Town  Meeting. 

Now  that  this  annual  custom  has  attained  the  age 
of  a  quarter  of  a  century,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to 
express  the  hope  that  it  may  continue  as  long  as  the 
years  come  and  go  over  this  beautiful  town,  and  that 
its  shadow  may  never  be  less. 

The  time,  however,  is  not  3^et,  to  write  the  his- 
tory of  INIanchester  during  the  period  which  will  be 
considered  by  some  the  period  of  the  town's  prosper- 
ity and  glorj^  and  by  some  the  period  of  its  decline 
and  decay.  It  must  be  left  for  some  future  historian 
fully  to  tell  the  story,  and  to  strike  the  balance  be- 
tween the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  a  modern 
summer  resort. 

1  Vide  Mr.  Coolidge's  address  at  the  Dedication  of  Memorial  Library 
Building,  Memorial  Volume,  p.  10. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SCHOOLS. 


"  Custom  is  most  perfect  when  it  beginnetli  in  young  years; 
this  we  call  education,  which  is,  in  effect,  but  an  early  cus- 
tom." 

Bacon's  Essays. 

"  Education,  a  debt  from  present  to  future  generations." 

George  Peabody,  1853. 

"A  Commonwealth  can  only  rest  on  the  foundation  of  the 
free  public  schools." 

Gov.  Gkeenhalge:  Speech  at  Dedham,  Jan.  11,  1895. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SCHOOLS. 

EAKI.T     CARE     FOR     EDUCATIOX  —  EARLY     SCHOOLS  —  SCHOOL 

HOUSES  —  DISTRICTS  —  NAVICATION  —  HIGH  SCHOOL  — 

SOME    TEACHERS  —  DR.    ASA   STORY  —  LATER 

HISTORY  —  "  THE    NEW    EDUCATION  " — 

MASTER    JOHN    PRICE, 

NEXT  to  freedom  in  civil  and  religious  "  con- 
cernments," our  fathers   valued    a    common- 
school  education.     At  a  session  of  the  Gen- 
eral Court  of  the  colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  June 
14,  1642,  it  was  ordered: 

That  in  every  towne  y*^  chosen  men  appointed  for  man- 
aging the  prudentiall  affajrs  of  the  same  shall  hence- 
forth .  .  .  have  power  to  take  account  from  time  to 
time  of  all  parents  and  masters,  and  of  their  childi-en  .  .  . 
especially  of  their  ability  to  read  and  understand  the  princi- 
ples of  religion  and  the  capitall  laws  of  this  country,  and  to 
impose  fines  upon  such  as  shall  refuse  to  render  such  ac- 
count to  them  when  required.  ^ 

A  more  stringent  ordinance  was  passed  Nov.  11, 
1647.     It  was  to  the  end,  as  stated  in  the  preamble, 

"  y'  learning  may  not  be  buried  in  y^  grave  of  o''  fath"  in  y'' 
church  &  commonwealth."  It  is  therefore  ord'ed  y*  ev''y 
towneship  in  this  iurisdiction  aft"^  y®  Lord  hath  increased 
ym  to  ye  number  of  50  household''^  shall  then  forthw*^  ap- 

1  Massachusetts  Colonial  Records,  vol.  II,  6. 

205 


206  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

point  one  w*^in  their  towne  to  teach  all  such  children  as 
shall  resort  to  him  to  write  &  reacle  .  .  .  &  y*  where 
any  towne  shall  increase  to  y^  numb"^  of  100  families  or 
household's,  they  shall  set  up  a  grammar  schoole,  y^  m' 
thereof  being  able  to  instruct  youth  so  farr  as  they  may  be 
fited  for  y^  university.^ 

As  this  was  the  first  law  of  the  kind  ever  passed 
by  any  community  of  persons  or  any  State,  Massa- 
chusetts may  claim  the  honor  of  having  originated 
the  free  public  school. 

The  following  extracts  are  gleaned  from  the 
Town  Records,  as  illustrations  of  the  early  way  of 
doing  things.  The  dates  are  given  in  New 
Style. 

Mar.  27,  1696.  Leift.  John  Siblee  Kobart  Leach  & 
Thomas  West  wear  chosen  A  comittee  for  &  in  y**  behalfe 
of  y*'  towne  to  treat  &  Agree  with  a  Scoolmaster  to  teach 
our  children  to  read  &  to  wright  &  to  make  an  Agreement  if 
thay  can  with  sd  scoole  master. 

Dec.  13,  1717.  voted  that  John  beshup  &  Koberd  Leech 
ivuior  shall  Join  with  the  selectmen  As  a  Commettey  to 
Loock  for  a  scool  mestres.  voted  the  selectmen  shall  agree 
with  a  scool  Marster  &  that  every  Child  sent  to  the  scool 
master  shall  pay  5'^^  per  week. 

Mar,  27,  1721.  Jabez  Doodg  was  Chos  scool  master,  it 
is  voted  to  leuef  y^  a  greing  with  y'^  scool  master  to  y'^  se- 
lectmen and  y'  the  selectmen  shall  not  Give  him  no  more 
than  20  pounds  per  yere. 

Feb.  10,  1724.  voted  that  y«  town  should  be  taxed  ten 
povmds  yerely  fower  yers  next  insuing  for  the  support  of  a 
free  scool  in  sd  town  and  no  more  then  ten  pounds  a  yere 
yerely  y®  sd  fower  yere  to  y^  sd  scool  which  is  for  all  sexes 
for  Reading  &  Writing  Englesh  and  for  sifering  that  be- 
long to  the  town  of  manchester. 

1  Massachusetts  Colonial  Records,  vol.  H,  203. 


SCHOOLS.  207 

Mar.  25,  1724.  nathanel  Lee  was  Chosen  Scool  master 
for  sd  town  for  to  teach  y*^  Cheldren  to  Kead  English  and  to 
writ  Englesh. 

May  S",  1727.  Chose  a  Commety  to  treet  with  our  Kev'^^ 
M"^  Chever  &  to  know  of  him  where  he  will  provide 
us  a  Choole  or  not  &  if  he  refuses  to  provide  for  us 
any  Longer  allso  to  Racken  with  him  for  all  his  disburs- 
ments  for  the  sport  of  a  schoole  &  to  bring  the  A  count  to 
the  town  at  the  a  jornment. 

Dec.  22,  1729.  Voted  to  Give  M^  Jonathan  Parepint 
forty  five  pounds  for  him  to  keep  a  free  schole  in  manch'' 
for  one  year  insuing.  Voted  that  the  presant  select  men 
shall  be  a  Commity  to  a  gree  with  M^  parepoynt,  &c. 

Mar.  9,  1731.  Chosen  for  a  Comety  to  Reglate  a  schoul 
in  Manch''  M^  Aaron  Bennet  &  M^  Benj^  Allen  &  M^ 
^Natha^  Marsturs. 

Mar.  9,  1736,  voted  that  the  £50  voted  for  the  support 
of  a  free  schoole  in  Manchester  the  one  half  of  sd  £50  to 
be  Expended  to  support  4  schoole  Dams  to  keep  a  free 
schoole  one  at  that  part  of  our  town  caled  Kuport  &  one  in 
that  part  of  our  Town  near  the  Meeting  house  &  one  in  that 
part  of  our  town  Caled  the  plans  &  one  in  that  part  of  our 
town  Caled  Cittal  Cove  the  other  half  of  sd  £50  to  be  Ex- 
pended to  supi3ort  a  schoole  master  to  keep  a  free  schoole  in 
the  schoole  house  in  manchester  the  fall  &  winter  seson. 

Mar.  18, 1738.  voted  to  Tax  the  Town  £60  for  the  sup- 
ort  of  a  Schoole  master  to  kee^Dafree  schoole  in  Manchester 
&  the  said  Schoole  to  be  Removed  to  the  four  quarters  of 
the  Town,  they  in  Each  part  to  provoide  a  Sieutable  house 
for  the  schoole  Master  to  keepe  a  Schoole  in  on  there  Charge 
to  Acceptants  &  the  Time  and  Place  at  the  Discrestion  of 
the  Selectmen. 

Mar.  16,  1742.  Voted  that  y^  assessers  shall  assess  y^ 
town  for  to  Keep  a  Grammer  School  Eighty  pounds. 

June  24,  1755.     voted  that  the   assess  shall  assess  the 


208  HISTORY    OP    MANCHESTER. 

Town    Thirty  Pounds   money  to   Defray  the   Charge  of  a 
gramer  School  maste  the  year  in  suing. 

Mar.  12,  1759.  Voted  that  y^  assessors  this  Day  Chosen 
shall  assess  y^  Town  Twenty  pounds  Lawfull  money  to  De- 
fra}^  y*^  Charges  of  a  Grammer  School  Six  months  next  win- 
ter: and  also  to  assess  y®  Ton  Twelve  pound  Lawfull  money 
which  sum  is  to  be  distributed  to  Three  School  Mistresses 
in  Three  different  parts  of  y^  Town  viz.  The  middle  part 
of  ye  Town  Kettle  Cove  &  Newport,  and  that  y®  People  Ee- 
siding  in  y^  aforementioned  part  of  y^  Town  pay  their  Part 
of  y*^  aforesaid  Twelve  pounds  in  Proportion  to  their  Tax. 

Mar.  4,  1765.  Voted  fifty  Pounds  for  a  Gramer  School, 
the  People  at  Cittle  Cove  to  Draw  their  Proportion  of  said 
Fifty  Pounds  for  a  schoole  at  sd  Cove,  and  to  have  no 
Benefit  of  the  Schoole  in  the  Middle  of  the  Town. 

In  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  the  schools  shared 
in  the  general  distress.  On  Nov.  4,  1775,  the  town 
voted  "  to  Dismis  the  Town  School  from  this  Day." 
On  Mar.  14,  1785,  it  was 

Voted  to  Build  a  school  house  In  the  Town  such  as  the 
Town  shall  agree  uj)on  —  Voted  that  the  school  hous  shall 
be  bult  21  feet  wide  and  26  feet  Longe  with  a  upright 
Chamber  —  Voted  that  the  Selectmen  shall  be  a  Commett 
to  se  that  y'=  school  house  is  Bult  on  the  same  place  ware 
the  old  school  hous  ISTow  Stands. 

As  soon  as  the  war  cloud  dispersed  the  light  of 
learning  again  appeared.  The  new  schoolhouse  was 
a  noble  monument  to  the  public  spirit  and  enlight- 
ened liberality  of  the  town.  It  is  fortunate  that  it 
has  escaped  the  "  tooth  of  time."  The  building 
stood  near  the  meeting  house,  and  was  sold  in  1811, 
and  removed  to  School  street,  near  Saw  Mill  brook, 
where  it  was  converted  into  a  dwelling-house.  It 
is  now  occupied  by  Miss  Mary  D.  Giles. 


SCHOOLS.  209 

1785.  John  Foster  was  chosen  school-master  for  four 
-years,  at  ten  pounds  per  annum.  "  The  town  agrees  to 
assess  £100  for  four  years  for  the  support  of  a  free  school, 
for  bothe  sexes  to  learn  reading,  writing,  English  and 
cyphering." 

1818.  The  town  voted  to  join  the  "  middle  district  "  ' 
in  building  a  school-house,  "  the  town  to  build  one  half  of 
the  house,  and  become  proprietors  of  the  lower  part,  exclu- 
sive of  furnishing  the  inside  of  the  district  room." 

The  building  of  this  temple  of  learning  appears 
from  time-worn  papers,  in  a  small  and  careful  hand- 
writing, to  have  been  an  undertaking  that  taxed  the 
ability  and  wisdom  of  the  district  quite  largely; 
votes  passed  and  reconsidered,  exact  terms  of  con- 
tracts for  the  work,  precise  statements  of  location, 
dimensions,  etc.,  show  the  economical  and  thrifty 
habits  of  the  time.  Nothing  but  the  simplest  and 
most  imperative  needs  were  provided  for.  This  was 
the  building  on  School  street,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  engine-house,  formerly  used  for  the  Public 
Library  and  engine-house,  now  removed  to  the  rear 
of  Samuel  Knight's  residence,  Central  street. 

A  book  containing  the  warrants  and  records  of 
meetings  of  the  Middle  District  in  the  handwriting 
of  Fran'  Burnham  and  D.  L.  Bingham  as  District 
Clerks,  shows  the  business  of  the  District  to  have 
been  conducted  with  all   the   formality  and  careful 

1  In  1789,  the  towns  were  divided  into  districts,  for  the  purpose  of 
facilitating  the  attendance  of  the  cliildren  upon  the  schools;  the  schools 
were  still  to  be  under  the  direct  control  of  the  town.  In  1817,  school  dis- 
tricts were  made  corporations,  and  were  empowered  to  hold  property  for 
the  use  of  the  schools. 

The  district  system  came  to  an  end  in  1851.  On  April  17,  the  district 
chose  a  Committee  to  "  convey  the  property  of  the  district  to  the  town," 
and  so  passed  away  this  peculiar  autonomy. 


210  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

adherence  to  forms  and  precedents  of  a  Town 
Meeting. 

Schools  were  taught  at  different  times  in  private 
houses.  The  exact  location  of  the  first  school-houses 
is  now  only  conjectural,  except  that  it  seems  reason- 
ably certain  that  according  to  custom,  a  school-house 
stood  very  early  near  the  meeting-house,  our  fore- 
fathers thus  signifying  that  religion  and  education 
were  fast  friends  and  allies. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812,  a  great  im- 
pulse was  given  to  all  seafaring  industries,  and  there 
was  an  increased  demand  for  nautical  education. 
This  want  was  met  in  town  by  a  school  taught  by 
Stilson  Hilton,  who  was  "  noted  for  his  mathemati- 
cal and  nautical  knowledge."  Under  his  tuition, 
young  men  were  instructed  in  the  mysteries  of  navi- 
gation for  a  moderate  fee  ;  and  so  successful  was 
this  school  of  navigation  that "  there  were  soon  more 
than  forty  sea-captains  from  this  town  in  command 
of  merchant  vessels  from  different  ports  of  the  Com- 
monwealth." 

The  records  are  very  meagre  and  scanty,  and  it  is 
difficult  to  trace  the  evolution  of  our  present  school 
system  through  its  various  stages." 

In  1848,  the  town  voted  "  that  there  be  a  High 
School  established  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  town." 
This  was  the  introduction  of  the  "  High  School  Sys- 
tem," as  it  is  called  in  the  Report  of  the  Committee, 

1  According  to  the  Essex  Memorial,  p.  160,  there  were  in  1836.  "three 
public  and  private  schools,  besides  a  high  school,  instituted  in  1835,  now 
under  the  direction  of  William  Long,  having  forty  scholars  in  the  higher 
English  branches,  and  the  ancient  languages."  The  whole  number  of 
scholars  was  about  400,  and  the  amount  paid  for  the  support  of  schools, 
.?1,200. 


SCHOOLS.  211 

as  distinguished  from  "  the  former  district  system." 
The  Committee  was  instructed  "  to  put  the  Town 
Hall  (so  called)  in  suitable  condition  to  accommo- 
date the  High  School."  The  report  for  1848-49 
deals  largely  with  this  matter,  and  covers  in  all 
twenty-five  closely-written  foolscap  pages ;  it  is 
signed  by  Oliver  A.  Taylor,  John  C.  Long  and 
Larkin  Woodberry,  as  Committee. 

In  1855,  Latin  appears  as  an  "extra"  study  in 
the  High  School  course.  Jonathan  French,  Jr.,  was 
the  teacher. 

The  Report  of  1859  discloses  a  very  unhappy  con- 
tention between  the  Committee  and  the  teacher  of 
the  High  School.  It  is  of  course  an  ex-parte  state- 
ment, but  unless  it  greatly  misrepresents  the  matter, 
the  committee  appear  to  have  been  abundantly 
justified  in  dismissing  the  teacher  and  closing  the 
school. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Gould  and  Mr.  D.  M.  Easton  are  still 
remembered  as  teachers  during  this  middle  period  of 
our  educational  history.  Mr.  Easton  is  spoken  of 
as  "  a  well  qualified  and  faithful  teacher,"  whose 
"  methods  of  teaching  are  thorough  and  well  calcu- 
lated to  interest  and  improve  the  scholars."  He 
considered  himself,  as  another  Report  states,  "a 
school  teacher  and  nothing  but  a  school  teacher," 
which  was  perhaps  one  secret  of  his  success.  Mr. 
French  is  remembered  by  his  pupils  as  a  teacher  who 
was  qualified  to  fit  scholars  for  college,  and  who 
could  teach  any  boy  or  girl  who  cared  to  learn. 
Virgil  was  his  favorite  Latin  author,  and  lie  carried 
one  class  through  the  iEneid.     Mr.  French  employed 


212  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

assistants,  among  them  a  French  teacher,  at  his  own 
charges,  the  school  at  times  numbering  eighty  pupils 
and  over.  This  was  about  high-water  mark  in  the 
history  of  the  High  School.  Under  Mr.  French 
music  received  more  attention  and  became  a  feature 
of  the  school. 

Mr.  Gage  and  Mr.  Joseph  A.  Torrey  followed,  and 
some  others  who  remained  but  a  short  time.  There 
are  teachers  and  teachers.  Mr.  Torrey  apjjroved 
himself  as  a  gentleman  and  a  competent  and  efhcient 
teacher,  and  won  the  respect  and  confidence  of  his 
pupils  and  of  the  town. 

Among  the  teachers  of  the  High  School  none  has 
made  for  himself  a  larger  place  in  town  than  Mr. 
Nathan  B.  Sargent.  For  length  of  service  he  has  a 
remarkable  record.  He  took  charge  of  the  school  in 
1866  and  remained  until  1888.  Mr.  Sargent  w^as  a 
teacher  of  rare  qualifications,  and  his  influence  for 
over  a  score  of  years  made  a  deep  and  lasting  impress 
upon  the  characters  of  those  who  were  so  fortunate 
as  to  be  numbered  among  his  pupils. 

The  town  seems  always  to  have  taken  an  interest 
in  the  education  of  its  youth.  The  interest  has 
sometimes  flagged,  however,  and  the  schools  have 
not  always  been  kept  up  to  the  same  standard  of 
efliciency.  The  school-buildings,  too,  have  not  in 
former  years  always  been  adequate  or  creditable  to 
the  town.  At  present,  however,  the  facilities  for 
school  education  compare  favorably  with  those  pro- 
vided by  towns  of  similar  size.  There  have  been 
many  improvements  within  the  past  few  years  in  the 
materiel  of  education,  in  houses  and  apparatus  espe- 


/■.    *  3 


jir-       _    -^v'        ^     .  I        4, 


bTUKV    IIK.U   .SCllUUL,. 


(213) 


U.    A.    rKllCST    SCIlllOL. 


SCHOOLS.  213 

cially.  In  1889,  a  new  house  of  small  dimensions, 
but  of  the  best  modern  plan  and  construction,  was 
built  at  the  "  Cove."  In  1890,  the  large  and  well- 
ap[)ointed  building  known  as  the  "  G.  A.  Priest 
Schoolhouse,"  was  erected.  It  is  a  structure  worthy 
of  the  town,  an  ornament  to  the  village,  and  admir- 
ably fitted  for  the  wants  of  graded  school  instruc- 
tion.' The  High  School  House,  though  not  a  new 
building,  has  been  made  by  alterations  and  improve- 
ments, very  serviceable  and  convenient,  and  occupies 
a  beautiful  and  commanding  position,  from  which 
the  j^rospect  of  sea  and  land  must  exert  insensibly  a 
broadening  influence  upon  the  scholars'  minds. 

Among  those  to  whose  supervision  the  town  has 
been  greatly  indebted  for  the  efficiency  of  its  schools, 
mention  should  be  specially  made  of  Dr.  Asa  Story, 
whose  services  rendered  gratuitously  for  more  than 
twenty  years,  are  considered  by  intelligent  judges  to 
have  been  of  great  value. ^  The  name  of  Dr.  G.  A. 
Priest  first  appears  as  one  of  the  School  Committee 
in  the  Report  of  1868.  He  was  elected  to  the  office 
as  often  as  his  term  of  service  expired  until  his 
death  in  1888.  He  gave  much  time  and  attention 
to  the  schools,  had  a  high  standard  of  excellence, 
and  was  a  master  of  details. 

Information    respecting    the     Schools,    Teachers, 

1  The  town  voted  iMarch  19,  1895,  to  add  a  wing  to  this  building  at 
an  estimated  cost  of  §3,500,  to  accommodate  the  increasing  number  of 
scholars,  and  to  enable  the  committee  to  extend  the  course  of  instruction 
in  the  higher  grades. 

-  Tardy  justice  has  been  done  to  the  memory  of  Dr.  Story  in  this  respect, 
by  a  vote  in  town  meeting,  March  19, 1895,  that  the  High  School  be  named 
the  "  story  High  School "  ;  a  well  deserved  tribute  to  a  worthy  man  and 
public-spirited  citizen,  that  is  all  the  more  an  honor  because  paid  by  a 
generation  that  never  knew  him  personally. 


214  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

School-buildings,  etc.,  since  1859,  is  easily  accessible 
in  the  Printed  Reports,  which  are  bound  and  placed 
in  the  Town  Library. 

The  Trustees  of  the  Library  afford  every  facility 
to  teachers,  and  scholars  of  the  higher  grades,  in  the 
use  of  books  for  reference  and  reading,  thus  increas- 
ing the  value  of  the  school  work  by  enlarging  and 
enriching  it.  In  the  Report  for  1890,  the  Superin- 
tendent says,  "  The  Trustees  of  the  Public  Library 
have  kindly  arranged  to  allow  teachers  to  take  out 
at  one  time  a  number  of  books  that  may  be  helpful 
in  the  school  work,  and  keep  them  for  a  reasonable 
time."  In  the  Report  for  1893,  a  valuable  classified 
List  of  "  Books  for  Collateral  Reading  "  prepared  by 
the  Superintendent,  was  printed,  covering  five  pages. 

Special  instruction  in  Music  was  introduced  into 
the  schools  in  1890,  and  in  Drawing  in  1891,  since 
which  time  these  studies  have  been  a  regular  part  of 
the  curriculum.  An  evening  school  was  opened  in 
the  winter  of  1890-91,  but  the  small  attendance  did 
not,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Committee,  warrant  its 
continuance. 

In  the  Report  for  1889,  the  committee  called  at- 
tention to  the  matter  of  employing  a  Superintendent 
of  Schools,  agreeable  to  the  Acts  of  the  Legislature 
of  1888,  chap.  431.  The  next  year  the  town  acted 
upon  the  recommendation,  and  Mr.  John  B.  Gifford 
was  elected  Superintendent.  After  serving  to  great 
acceptance  one  year,  Mr.  Gifford  resigned,  having 
accepted  another  position.  Mr.  J.  F.  Rich  served 
during  the  years  1890  and  1891;  and  Mr.  Gifford 
returned    to    the    same    office    in    1893    and    1894. 


SCHOOLS.  215 

The  present  Superintendent  is  Mr.  Henry  M. 
Walradt. 

For  some  reason,  Manchester  has  not  furnished  so 
many  candidates  for  tlie  honors  of  the  college  and 
the  higher  schools  of  learning,  as  some  of  the  neigh- 
boring towns.  But  there  has  been  of  late  years, 
something  of  an  advance  in  this  direction.  In 
November,  1893,  there  were  twenty-six  young  men 
and  women  pursuing  study  in  Business  Colleges, 
Academies,  High  Schools,  Normal  Schools,  Techni- 
cal Schools  and  Colleges.  Perhaps  the  general  edu- 
cation of  the  many  is  always  to  be  placed  above  the 
special  education  of  the  few.  But  it  is  desirable 
that  any  community,  however  small,  should  always 
have  some  of  its  number  seeking  the  most  liberal 
culture  that  they  can  command.  A  few  well-edu- 
cated persons  in  a  town  raise  the  standard  of  intelli- 
gence for  the  whole  people.  It  is  from  the  heights 
that  the  springs  flow  to  water  and  fertilize  the  plains 
and  valleys. 

The  grading  of  the  schools  and  the  erection  of  the 
new,  costly  and  finely  equipped  building  for  their 
accommodation  have  been  held  by  many  not  only  to 
mark  an  era  in  the  educational  history  of  the  town, 
but  to  make  sure  its  future  progress  indefinitely  in 
the  right  direction.  This  might  well  be  so,  if  build- 
ings and  systems  insured  education.  But  since 
more  personal  influences  must  be  taken  into  account, 
such  a  foregone  conclusion  is  not  to  be  relied  upon. 
Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  advantages  of  modern 
school  methods  and  appliances,  it  is  certain  that  the 
old,  with  all  their  crudeness,  turned  out  some  well- 


216  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

educated  and  well-disciplined  minds,  minds  that  were 
not  all  shaped  after  one  pattern  and  run  in  one 
mould.  It  is  possible  in  these  days  to  decry  the 
old-fashioned  district  school  in  the  "  old  red  school- 
house  "  too  much.  It  may  have  lacked  most  of  the 
modern  improvements  ;  its  course  of  stud}^,  if  indeed 
it  had  one,  was  probably  meagre  and  defective  ;  its 
maps,  globes,  blackboards,  textbooks,  were  very 
likely  somewhat  antiquated,  if  in  fact  it  was  not 
destitute  of  some  of  these  entirely  ;  it  had  not  the 
best  and  most  intelligent  supervision  ;  its  teachers 
were  often  selected  in  a  somewhat  haphazard  man- 
ner, and  they  had  no  idea  in  general  of  devoting 
themselves  to  the  profession  of  teaching.  All  these 
things  were  drawbacks.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
lack  of  a  graded  system  gave  the  younger  pupils  the 
stimulus  of  the  acquirements  and  the  example  of  the 
best  and  brightest  of  the  older  ones  ;  the  personality 
of  the  teacher  counted  for  more  ;  and  there  was  gen- 
erall}^  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  school 
on  the  part  of  parents  and  committees. 

Whether  the  bringing  of  most  of  the  scholars  in 
town  into  one  building  is  an  improvement  in  all 
respects  upon  the  old  method,'  is  still  a  question  in 
the  minds  of  some  who  are  not  infatuated  with  the 
"  New  Education."  There  are  evils,  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted, as  well  as  benefits;  the  advantages  of  abetter 
classification  may  be  j^artly  counterbalanced  by  the 
disadvantages  of  a  more  promiscuous  association. 
"  But  time  tests  all."     Wisdom  has  not  been  buried 


1  The  small  number  in  attendance  in  the  out  districts  was  the  best 
reason  for  discontinuing  those  schools. 


SCHOOLS.  217 

with    the  fathers,  nor  have  their  children  any  mo- 
nopoly of  it. 

"  Master  "  John  Price. 

The  name  of  this  patriarch  of  tlie  school-room  will 
call  up  with  many  the  erect  and  stalwart  form  of 
one  who  was  long  known  far  and  near  as  a  success- 
ful teacher,  and  who  was  identified  for  more  than 
sixty  years  with  the  best  interests  of  the  town. 

Master  Price  was  born  in  Tamworth,  N.  H.,  Jan. 
18,  1808.  He  came  to  Manchester  in  1828,  and 
taught  first  the  "  Newport "  and  then  the  "  Middle  " 
school.  In  the  latter,  he  had  in  one  term  159  names 
on  his  roll,  and  in  one  day  105  pupils.  He  taught 
this  school  five  years,  and  it  has  been  said,  "  From 
this  time  a  very  marked  improvement  in  the  educa- 
tional sj'^stem  of  the  town  may  be  dated."  The  dis- 
cipline of  the  schools  was  better,  and  the  methods  of 
instruction  improved.  In  1836,  Mr.  Price  opened  a 
private  school,  which  he  taught  until  1872,  when  he 
retired  from  active  life.  A  remarkable  feature  of 
this  school  was  that  pupils  came  to  it  from  almost  all 
over  the  world,  owing  to  the  reputation  that  it  had 
gained  among  merchants  and  shipmasters  of  Salem 
and  Boston.  In  all.  Master  Price  numbered  as  his 
pupils  about  seventeen  hundred,  of  whom  he  had 
the  names  of  all  upon  his  rolls  except  those  of  the 
first  school. 

On  Sept.  7, 1891,  a  Reunion  of  the  old  pupils  was 
held,  an  occasion  which  proved  to  be  of  unique  in- 
terest, and  which  was  alike  honorable  to  teacher  and 
scholars. 


218  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

It  is  proper  to  add  that  Mr.  Price  was  for  many 
years  Deacon  of  the  Congregational  Chnrch,  member 
of  the  Board  of  Selectmen  and  of  the  School  Com- 
mittee, Town  Treasurer,  member  of  the  Essex 
County  Teachers'  Association  from  1830,  and  asso- 
ciated with  educational  and  temperance  work  in 
many  different  ways  while  he  lived  among  us.  He 
Avas  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school,  courteous,  digni- 
fied and  self-respecting.  He  died  April  19,  1895,  in 
the  eighty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  Had  he  lived 
until  the  town's  historic  anniversary  in  the  present 
year,  his  would  have  been  one  of  the  most  noticeable 
figures  on  that  memorable  occasion. 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
CHURCHES   AND   CHURCH    BUILDINGS. 


"The   church   of   the   living   God,  which  is  the  pillar  and 
ground  of  the  truth." 

Paul. 


"  Great  is  the  Lord  our  God, 
And  let  His  praise  be  great; 
He  makes  His  churches  His  abode, 
His  most  delightful  seat. 

These  temples  of  His  grace, 

How  beautiful  they  stand  ! 
The  honors  of  our  native  place, 

The  bulwarks  of  our  land." 

Watts. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

CHURCHES    AND    CHURCH    BUILDINGS. 

THE   TENT  AND  ALTAR  —  THE  FIKST   MINISTERS  —  THE   CHURCH 

AND    LATER    MINISTRY  —  THE    SUNDAY   SCHOOL  —  THE 

MEETING-HOUSES  —  THE    PARSONAGES  —  THE 

BAPTIST  CHURCH  —  OTHER  CHURCHES 

—  PAST   AND    PRESENT. 

IT  was  found  impossible  to  present  the  subject  of  this 
Chapter  with  anything  like  completeness,  without  ex- 
tending the  History  beyond  desirable  limits.  Much 
matter  prepared  with  considerable  labor  was  necessarily 
omitted  in  the  final  revision.  Ample  materials  exist  for  a 
history  of  the  old  church  and  parish,  which  it  is  to  be  hoped 
will  be  undertaken  sometime  by  some  competent  hand.^ 
If  the  earlier  history  seems  to  occupy  a  disproportionate 
space,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  in  Massachusetts  for  a 
long  time  the  parish  and  town  were  practically  one. 

One  of  the  first  things  with  our  fathers  was  a  care 
for  tlie  maintenance  of  a  gospel  ministry.  Life 
without  the  institutions  of  religious  worship  would, 
have  been  a  meagre  thing.  The  church  was  tlie 
centre  around  which  all  the  interests  of  the  com- 
munity revolved. 

The  first  meeting  in  town  for  jDublic  worship,  ac- 
cording   to    tradition,    was    held    under    a    tree    on 

1  Besides  the  Town,  Church  and  Parish  Records,  there  are  Dr.  Leach's 
"  Collections,"  a  MS.  History  of  the  First  Church  by  O.A.Taylor,  and  a 
volume  of  notes  on  the  Ministers  and  their  Families  by  the  late  Dea.  John 
Price,  presented  by  his  direction,  after  his  death,  to  the  Historical  Society. 

221 


'222  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

"  Gale's  Point,"  but  the  name  of  the  preacher 
around  whom  gathered  the  little  band  of  settlers 
with  bowed  heads  and  reverent  hearts,  is  lost  in 
oblivion. 

Dr.  E.  W.  Leach  has  preserved,  pasted  on  one  of 
the  leaves  of  his  "  Collections,"  a  little  scrap  of  yel- 
low paper,  giving  in  the  handwriting  of  Rev.  Ames 
Cheever  the  names  of  the  early  ministers  of  Man- 
chester; the  record  bears  date,  Nov.  20,  1726.  The 
names  are  as  follows:  —  Ginners,  Smith,  Stow,  Dnn- 
num,  Millett,  Hathorn,  Jones,  Winborn,  Hubbard, 
Emerson,  Goodhue,  Eveleth,  Webster. 

Of  most  of  these  early  ministers  we  have  but 
very  slight  information.  Some  of  them  may  have 
only  supplied  the  pulpit  for  a  time.  We  know  as 
much,  perhaps,  of  Ralph  Smith  as  of  any  ;  and  of 
him  it  may  be  said  that  we  know  too  much.  He  is 
spoken  of  as  "  a  man  of  low  gifts  and  parts." 
Cradock  warned  the  colonists  against  him,  adjuring 
them  not  to  suffer  him  to  remain  "  unless  he  be 
comfortable  to  our  government."  He  was  probably 
a  man  with  too  many  defects  of  character  to  be  use- 
ful in  the  ministry,  and  he  soon  laid  down  the  office. 
John  Winborn,  who  came  in  1(367,  found  his  resi- 
dence here  far  from  pleasant.  In  1686,  the  town 
voted  "that  he  forthwith  provide  for  himself  and 
family  some  other  place  " ;  after  considerable  alter- 
cation, the  money  questions  involved  were  settled 
by  compromise.  In  1689,  Rev.  John  Everleth  was 
invited  to  preach  as  a  candidate.  In  September,  he 
engaged  to  preach  for  X23  per  year.  In  1690,  it 
was    voted   that   a   contribution   be   taken    up    each 


CHURCHES    AND    CHURCH   BUILDINGS.  223 

Sabbath  for  the  minister  in  addition  to  the  salary  ; 
the  gifts  to  be  "  wrapped  in  a  paper,  with  the  name 
of  the  contributor  upon  it  "  ;  practically,  the  modern 
"  weekly  envelope"  system.  In  1693,  Mr.  Everleth 
seem.^  to  have  been  formally  called  to  be  the  min- 
ister of  the  town.  The  following  action  shows  the 
reverence  which  the  fathers  paid  to  Scripture  prece- 
dent and  precept : 

Att  a  town  meeting  legaly  warned  &  mett  togetlier  on 
ye  7th  Qf  July  1693  to  consider  of  some-  efectuall  way  for  y^ 
incorigment  &  setling  a  minister  in  our  town  namely  Mr. 
John  Evelytli  hom  we  have  already  had  experience  of  his 
preaching  y*^  gosple  to  us  &  knowing  it  is  our  Duty  to  Doe 
our  utmost  endeavour  for  y**  obtaining  &  maintaigng  y^ 
ministry  of  y**  gosple  Amongst  us  considei'ing  also  y^  ill  con- 
sequences may  follow  if  we  should  neglect  our  Duty  herein 
&  soe  be  Destitute  of  such  means  whom  god  hath  ordained 
for  ys  everlasting  salvation  of  immortall  souls  for  which  we 
have  remarkable  instances  in  y^  Scriptures  which  is  written 
for  mans  instruction  as  in  y®  2'^  book  of  cronicles  y'^  15  ch: 
3  &  5  ver:  now  for  a  long  seson  Israeli  had  been  without  A 
teaching  profit  &  what  folowes  in  y^  5*^^  ver:  it  is  said  their 
was  noe  peace  to  him  y'  went  out  nere  to  him  y'came  in  but 
great  vexation  wear  upon  all  y®  inhabitants  of  y'  people  &  in 
prob:  y®  29'^  chap.  18  ver:  wheir  their  is  noe  vision  y®  peo- 
ple perish. &  against  y^  prists  lips  should  preserve  knowlige  & 
thou  shalt  enquire  at  his  mouth  &  contrarj^wise  when  Duty 
is  atended  in  this  great  &  momentary  work  as  we  may  in  y'' 
2'i  of  chronicls  31  ch:  10:  ver:  when  y"  people  brought  in 
freely  great  store  of  provitions  for  y*^  prests  of  y*^  Lord  y*  y^ 
Lord  blessed  y^  peoj^le  greatly  &  in  y*^  epistle  of  corinth  13 
ch:  14:  Doe  you  not  know  y'  they  which  minister  about 
holy  things  live  of  y^  things  of  y^  temple,  &  they  y'  wait  at 
y^  Alter  as  pertakers  with  y<*  Alter  soe  hath  y^  Lord  ordained 
y'  they  which  preach  y«  gosple  should  live  of  y^  gosple. 
Under   this   &   y®  like    considerations  it   is   voted  &  fully 


224  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

Agreed  by  y"  town  upon  y^  Day  Above  written  firstly  to 
pay  to  Mr.  John  evely  y"  sum  of  35  pounds  per  annum  in 
mony  for  his  yearly  salary  y^  s'^  salary  of  35  pounds  to  be 
paid  on  every  quarter  or  quarterley  by  equall  proportion  y^ 
l^'  year  begining  upon  y^  1^^  Day  of  August  next  ensuing 
ys  Date  heir  of  so  long  as  he  doth  continue  with  us,  etc.^ 

After  all  this,  Mr.  Eveiieth,  it  seems,  would  not 
consent  to  settle  in  town  as  its  minister,  but  he  con- 
tinued to  preach  until  August,  1695.  Mr.  Everleth 
is  spoken  of  as  a  man  of  good  attainments,  and  was 
highly  respected.  In  1690,  after  the  arrival  of  Sir 
William  Phipps  with  the  new  Charter,  which  was 
not  altogether  to  the  liking  of  the  people,  Mr.  Ever- 
leth was  sent  to  Boston  as  deputy  to  j)resent  the 
town's  objections  to  it,  an  evidence  that  he  enjoyed 
the  public  confidence. 

The  next  minister  who  was  settled  was  Rev.  John 
Emerson.  He  remained  but  a  few  3^ears.  He  is 
spoken  of  as  "  an  eminent  and  faithful  preacher." 
The  Rev.  Nicholas  Webster  was  settled  in  1698,  and 
remained  until  1715.  But  little  is  known  of  him. 
There  is  a  tradition,  however,  that  he  filled  the  office 
well. 

At  a  town  meeting  on  Dec.  5,  1715,  it  was 

Voted  to  have  a  minester  to  pretch  the  gospell  to  us  as 
soone  as  we  can  conveniently  in  order  to  a  furder  setlement 
and  a  commete  is  chosen  to  look  out  for  a  minester  and 
seack  the  advice  of  our  neighboring  minesters  in  the  towns 
next  to  us  which  are  as  followeth  Mr.  Eobbert  Leach  sener 
Samuell  lee  sener  Samuell  allin  sener  Aron  bennet  william 
hilton  John  bishop  Beniemen  Allen  thomas  i)itman  Samuell 
leach  Robert  warin  John  foster  John  lee  juu""  &  nathaniell 

1  Toivn  Jlecords,  i,  53. 


CHURCHES   AND    CHTTRCH   BUILDINGS.  225 

marsters  which  commete  are  hereby  fully  impowered  to 
mete  &  agree  with  a  minester  to  preach  the  gospell  to  us  & 
to  give  sucli  incorragement  to  him  as  they  can  agree  for  and 
the  alDove  s^i  commete  are  impow^ered  to  intreat  our  neigh- 
boring ministers  to  help  us  in  keeping  afast  Day  to  seke  of 
god  a  right  way  for  ourselves  and  our  children  &  so  pray 
unto  god  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  send  forth  a  faithful 
laborer  into  this  little  parte  of  his  vineyard,  etc.^ 

As  the  result  of  this  action,  Rev.  Ames  Cheever, 
a  grandson  of  the  celebrated  Ezekiel  Cheever,  was 
ordained  Oct.  4,  1716.  The  church  was  organized 
on  Nov.  7  of  the  same  year.  The  church  members 
had  been  connected  with  the  church  in  Salem  up  to 
1677,  when  they  were  gathered  in  Beverl}^,  until 
they  were  dismissed  "  in  order  to  their  coming  into 
a  church  state  by  themselves."  The  names  of  those 
thus  dismissed  were,  John  Sibley  and  wife,  John  Lee, 
Robert  Leach,  Samuel  Stone,  Samuel  Lee,  John 
Knowlton  and  children  (John,  Joseph  and  Abigail), 
Benjamin  Allen,  Joseph  Allen  and  wife,  Jabez  Baker 
and  wife,  Josiah  Littlefield,  Jonathan  Allen. 

With  Mr.  Cheever's  ministry  we  emerge  from  a 
haze  of  antiquity,  in  which  the  forms  of  the  earlier 
ministry  are  seen  in  shadowy  outline.  With  Mr. 
Cheever  commenced  the  history  of  the  church.  He 
was  a  man  of  good  parts  and  highly  useful  in  the 
formative  period  of  the  church's  history.  He  took  a 
warm  interest  in  education,  and  appears  from  the 
records  to  have  supplied  in  part  by  his  private  tui- 
tion a  frequent  lack  in  the  i:)ublic  provision  for  schools. 
Mr.  Cheever  was  pastor  of  the  church  for  twenty- 
seven  years,  and  died  Jan.  15,  1756.     His  grave  has 

1  Town  liecords,  i,  131. 


226  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

recently  been  located  with  reasonable  certainty,  and 
marked  with  a  simple  tablet  erected  by  his  descend- 
ants. Among  Mr.  Cheever's  memoranda,  brought 
to  light  a  few  years  ago,  mention  is  made  of  Eliza- 
betli  Bennett,  "  an  aged  widow,"  who  was  the  "  first 
born  in  Manchester  in  1644."  She  was  "  baptized  " 
by  Mr.  Cheever  in  1717,  at  the  age  of  seventy-three 
years.     Her  maiden  name  was  unknown. 

Mr.  Cheever's  pastorate  closed  Feb.  27,  1743. 
The  church  was  for  nearly  two  years  without  a  pas- 
tor. But  they  were  not  content  long  to  remain  so. 
The  times  might  be  hard,  but  our  fathers  in  all  their 
poverty  and  straitness  did  not  feel  that  they  could 
afford  to  be  without  the  ministrations  of  the  church. 
In  1744,  the  town  voted  "  not  to  Chouse  A  Repre- 
santivie  having  y'^  Leberty  of  the  Law  go  to  Do," 
and  a  "  Committy  "  was  chosen  to  "  apply  themsevels 
to  a  Seuttebell  Person  to  Prepare  a  Pretion  to  y*^ 
Generall  Court  for  sum  relese  under  our  Decaing 
Surcomstances."  At  an  adjourned  meeting,  to  hear 
the  report  of  a  committee  appointed  to  "  Tack  Advice 
in  our  Reselment  of  a  Pastar,"  it  was  "  voted  to 
apply  our  savels  to  M''  Moses  Hall  In  order  to  here 
him  Prach  sum  time  among  us." 

After  hearing  several  candidates,  in  1744  the  town 
invited  Mr.  Benjamin  Tappan  to  be  their  minister. 
A  committee  was  chosen  to  arrange  the  terms  of  set- 
tlement. The  original  document,  a  somewhat  lengthy 
paper,  and  in  some  respects  curiously  illustrative  of 
the  times,  is  in  the  possession  of  the  Historical 
Society.  The  town  agreed  to  give  Mr.  Tappan 
Four  Hundred  and  Fifty  Pounds,  old  tenor,  towards 


CHURCHES    AND    CHUECH   BUILDINGS.  227 

his  "  settlement,"  and  to  pay  yearly  One  Hundred 
and  Forty-eight  ounces  of  silver,  or  Bills  of  Credit 
equal  to  148  ounces.  They  also  promised  "  a  suffi- 
ciency of  fire  wood  for  his  own  family,"  and  declared 
it  to  be  their  "  Intent  and  Design  to  cut  and  Hale" 
the  same,  though  "  not  absolutely  engaging  to  cut  & 
Hale  it,  lest  the  same  should  come  to  be  a  Town 
charge."  Mr.  Tappan  continued  in  the  ministry 
until  his  death,  May  6,  1790.  An  idea  of  his  exact 
and  methodical  habits  may  be  had  from  a  communi- 
cation from  him  to  the  Town  Treasurer,  a  fac-simile 
of  which  is  given. 

A  letter  written  by  Mr.  Tappan  to  his  son  Benjamin, 
dated  Manchester,  February  7, 1770,  with  the  address,  "  For 
Mr.  Benjamin  Tappan,  of  Nortliampton,  Goldsmith.,''''  is 
printed  in  the  Memoir  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Tappan,  p.  136.  It 
shows  Mr.  Tappan  to  have  been  a  most  affectionate  father, 
and  deeply  solicitous  for  his  children's  welfare-  Its  closing 
appeal  reminds  one  of  David's  lament  for  Absalom,  in  its 
tenderness  and  pathos.  It  would  seem  that  Mr.  Tappan's 
character  was  one  that  has  not  alwaj's  been  fairly  estimated. 
The  more  that  is  known  of  him,  the  more  he  appears  to 
have  been  a  most  excellent  and  estimable  man.  He  was 
probably  somewhat  reserved,  and  only  children  and  near 
friends  knew  what  depths  lay  beneath  the  calm  exterior. 

[  A  picture  of  ecclesiastical  affairs  and  Sabbath  customs 
in  Mr.  Tappan's  time  will  be  found  in  Appendix  A.  See 
also  Appendix  B  for  a  more  detailed  biographical  notice  of 
Mr.  Tappan.] 

After  the  decease  of  Mr.  Tappan  the  vacancy  was  filled 
by  Rev.  Mr.  Blake  and  Mr.  Worcester  until  September, 
1791,  when  a  committee  was  chosen  in  behalf  of  the  church 
and  parish  to  give  an  invitation  to  Rev.  Ai'iel  Parish  to 
settle  with  them.  He  accepted,  and  a  committee  of  eleven 
were  chosen  to  determine  the  conditions  of  settlement,  and 


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CHURCHES    AND    CHURCH    BUILDINGS.  229 

Mr.  Parish  was  ordained  April  4,  1792,  and  labored  dili- 
gently until  May,  1794,  when  the  church  and  the  people 
were  called  to  mourn  his  early  death.  He  died  in  the 
thirtieth  year  of  his  age,  and  in  the  third  year  of  his 
ministry. 

A  writer  of  an  obituary  notice  thus  remarks  : 
"  While  he  was  decidedly  one  of  the  strictest  of  the 
Calvinistic  school,  no  man  ever  manifested  a  more  candid 
or  placid  temper  towards  those  who  had  adopted  a  different 
creed.  The  uniform  decision,  with  which  he  embraced  his 
own  opinions,  led  him  as  decidedly  to  yield  the  same  privi- 
lege to  others.  His  sermons  were  uniformly  plain  and  prac- 
tical, without  harshness  of  controversy  or  the  show  of 
ornament.  His  elocution  in  the  pulpit  was  manly,  distinct 
and  pathetic,  and  doubtless  had  his  days  been  prolonged,  he 
would  have  risen  to  eminence.  Whilst  he  lived,  he  was 
distinguished  for  his  easy  and  social  suavity  of  manners  by 
which  he  won  the  affections  and  reigned  in  the  hearts  of  his 
people ;  for  he  shared  their  joys  and  sympathized  in  their 
sorrows.  A  letter  from  a  member  of  his  church  thus  closes; 
'  He  was  cut  off  in  the  morning  of  life  and  the  tears  of 
many  watered  his  grave.'  " 

Mr.  Parish  was  the  son  of  Elijah  Parish,  of  Andover  ; 
was  born  in  1764  ;  he  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College, 
1788  ;  he  married  Hannah  Chute,  of  Byfield,  and  had  one 
daughter,  who  died  in  Manchester  in  1793  ;  another  was 
born  after  his  death. 

Mr.  Parish  occupied  the  house  now  owned  by 
Mrs.  William  Hooper,  on  Washington  street.  His 
grave  is  in  the  "  Old  Burial  Ground,"  next  to  that  of 
his  predecessor,  Rev.  Benjamin  Tappan.  Mr.  Parish's 
death  was  the  second  in  the  dreadful  fever  that 
almost  decimated  the  little  town.'  The  early  death  of 
the  young  and  beloved  pastor  must  have  caused  a 

1  Vide  Appendix  L. 


230  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

heavier  gloom  of   sadness  to  fall  upou  the  stricken 
village. 

A  vote  passed  by  the  town  Jan.  12,  1792,  gives  a 
glimpse  of  a  historic  controversy  in  the  New  Eng- 
land churches.  The  vote  reads  as  follows  :  "  That 
Mr.  Ariel  Parish  Baptize  all  Children  who  Shall  be 
offered  upon  what  is  Called  the  Half  Covenant." 
From  this  it  appears  that  the  Church  at  this  time 
held  to  the  "  Half-way  Covenant."  It  was  the  re 
sistance  of  Edwards  and  others  to  this  measure  that 
finally  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Unitarian  and 
Orthodox  parties  in  the  Congregational , churches  of 
New  England  in  the  early  part  of  this  century.  It 
is  a  long-since  extinct  controversy,  which  we  can 
now  survey  as  calmly  as  tourists  survey  the  burned- 
out  crater  whose  active  fires  once  carried  devastation 
to  many  a  smiling  hamlet  and  fruitful  vineyard. 

From  the  death  of  Mr.  Parish  in  1794,  to  1801,  a 
period  of  seven  years,  the  church  was  supplied  b}- 
different  ministers.  The  names  of  seventeen  of 
these  ministers  have  been  preserved.^  Through  all 
this  interregnum,  it  seems  that  there  were  watchful 
and  jealous  eyes  upon  the  Avails,  lest  some  thief  or 
robber  should  climb  up  some  other  way  ;  for  in  1795, 
August  10,  we  are  told,  "The  Methodists  were  for- 
bidden  to  worship  in  the  Town  house  "  ;   the   fol- 

1  The  original  document  is  in  the  jiossession  of  the  Historical  Society; 
it  is  written  in  a  handsome  hand,  and  signed 

"  A  Trew  Coppy,  Attested 

Aaron  Lee  T  Clerk." 

Mr.  Parish,  we  are  told,  was  opposed  to  this  measure.  Brief  History, 
Articles  of  Faith,  etc.,  1851,  p.  11. 

2  They  are  Hall,  Xeal,  Wood,  Kimball,  Merritt,  Jackson,  Tompkins, 
stone,  Page,  Crafts,  Coffin,  Dow,  Spofford,  Long,  Flint,  Mercy,  Dana. 


CHURCHES    A^D   CHURCH   BUILDINGS.  231 

lowers  of  John  Wesley  then  being  objects  of  almost 
universal  suspicion  and  dislike.  What  would  the 
fathers  have  thought  if  they  could  have  cast  the 
horoscope  of  a  century  ?  Under  the  same  date  it 
was  Ordered,  that  "  the  article  in  the  warrant 
respecting  a  Hopkentian  minister  be  passed  over,"  a 
reminder  of  the  Hopkinsian  controversy  between  the 
disciples  of  Samuel  Hopkins  and  Jonathan  Edwards 
that  was  then  at  its  height. 

May  23,  1801,  Abraham  Randall,  of  Stow,  « the 
fortieth  candidate,"  accepted  an  invitation  to  settle 
as  pastor.  He  was  ordained  Sej)t.  2, 1801.  He  had 
a  "  settlement "  of  five  hundred  dollars,  and  a  salary 
of  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  dollars,  with  the 
"  improvement  of  the  ministerial  land."  Mr.  Ran- 
dall was  born  in  Stow,  1771  ;  graduated  at  Harvard, 
1798,  and  studied  divinity  under  Prof.  David  Tap- 
pan  of  Cambridge  and  Rev.  Dr.  Dana  of  Ipswich. 
He  was  dismissed,  Aug.  17,  1808. 

The  next  pastor  was  Rev.  James  Thurston,  who 
was  settled  on  Jan.  10,  1809,  with  a  salary  of  five 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  and  "  the  use  of  the  par- 
sonage property."  Mr.  Thurston's  pastorate  was 
marked  by  an  extensive  and  powerful  revival  of 
religion  during  its  first  year,  illustrating  the  princi- 
ple, "  One  soweth  and  another  reapeth."  In  1810, 
one  hundred  and  ten  were  added  to  the  church.' 

In  the  same  year,  a  Sunday  school  was  organized, 
being  one  of  the  earliest  formed  in  New  England. 
The   origin  of   the   school   was   due  to   two  young 

1  An  account  of  this  revival  was  published  in  the  Panopllst,  vol.  Ill, 
p.  550. 


232  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

ladies  who  afterward  became  famous  as  Harriet 
Newell  and  Ann  Haseltine  Judson,  two  of  the  earli- 
est of  American  missionaries  to  the  East.  It  was 
through  their  influence  that  Miss  Eliza  Tuck,  Mrs. 
Martha  Lee,  Miss  Mary  Bingham,  and  Miss  Abby 
IIoo]3er  undertook  what  was  then  an  almost  untried 
experiment,  which  proved  so  successful  that  the 
school  soon  gained  the  confidence  of  pastor  and 
church,  and  became  in  a  few  years  large  and  flourish- 
ing. The  years  from  1837  to  1843  are  spoken  of  as 
"  palmy  days  "  in  the  history  of  the  school.  On  one 
Sunday,  the  number  present  was  355.  The  ages  of 
the  scholars  ranged  from  three  to  eighty  years.  Mr. 
Andrew  Lee  was  an  earnest  worker  in  the  school. 
Dea.  John  Price  was  Superintendent  about  thirty 
years.  "  One  hundi-ed  names  appear  on  the  records 
of  persons  who  recited  the  Assembly  Catechism,  and 
received  a  Bible  as  a  reward."  This  was  during  the 
period  from  Feb.  2,  1848,  to  May  17,  1857. 

On  June  24,  1885,  the  Sunday  school  celebrated 
its  seventy-fifth  anniversary.  There  were  present 
two  ladies  who  were  present  at  the  first  session  of 
the  school,  three  quarters  of  a  century  before  — 
Mrs.  Lydia  Osborne,  aged  eighty-three,  and  Mrs. 
Hannah  Colby,  aged  eighty-two. 

Tlie  beginning  of  Mr.  Thurston's  pastorate  seemed 
bright  with  promise;  the  large  additions  to  the 
church  and  the  interest  in  the  new  department  of 
the  Sunday  school  augured  well  for  the  future. 
But  the  day  that  dawned  so  bright,  was  soon 
clouded,  and  Mr.  Thurston's  pastorate  was  on  the 
whole  a  stormy  one.     An  unfortunate  cause  of  mis- 


CHURCHES    AKD    CHURCH    BUILDINGS.  233 

understanding  arose,  criminations  and  recriminations 
followed,  and  witnessing  angels  sorrowfully  turned 
their  faces  aside.  The  contention  resulted  in  the 
dismissal  of  Mr.  Thurston,  July  9,  1819. 

On  July  27,  1821,  the  church  and  society  united 
in  calling  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Emerson,  a  graduate  of 
Williams  College,  as  pastor.  They  offered  him  a 
salary  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  fourteen 
cords  of  wood  "  at  the  house,"  and  "  the  improve- 
ment of  all  the  parsonage  land."  Mr.  Emerson  was 
installed,  Sept.  12,  1821.  The  commencement  of 
Mr.  Emerson's  pastorate  was  a  somewhat  troublous 
one  owing  to  dissensions  in  the  church;  but  his 
wise,  energetic  and  peace-making  administration  re- 
sulted in  a  restoration  of  harmony.  He  labored  as- 
siduously and  acceptably  until  his  health  began  to 
fail  in  the  spring  of  1839,  and  in  September  follow- 
ing he  asked  for  a  dismissal,  which  was  granted. 

Mr.  Emerson's  ministry  was  nmrked  by  several 
important  events  in  the  history  of  the  church.  In 
1825,  the  articles  of  faith  and  covenant  of  the  church 
were  printed  for  the  first  time,  with  the  names  of 
the  members.  In  1833,  the  church  put  on  record 
the  following  Minute,  taking  advanced  ground  in 
the  matter  of  Temperance;  for  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that  no  such  stigma  attached  to  the  use  of  in- 
toxicating liquor  as  a  beverage  as  at  present;  it  was 
freely  dispensed  on  all  occasions,  at  ordinations,  at 
weddings,  at  funerals  ;  it  was  used  by  ministers  and 
deacons  ;  the  "  Washingtonian "  movement  was  yet 
in  the  future.  This  vote  has  therefore  special  sig- 
nificance :  — 


234  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

"  Whereas  tlie  use  of  Ardent  Spirits  has  been  the  fruit- 
ful cause  of  numei'ous  evils,  which  admit  of  no  remedy  but 
that  of  total  abstinence,  and  as  it  is  the  incumbent  duty  of 
the  churches  to  maintain  a  high  standard  of  Christian 
morality,  it  will  fi'om  this  time  be  required  of  all  persons 
presenting  themselves  as  candidates  for  admission  to  this 
church,  to  abstain  from  the  use  of  Ardent  Spirits  in  all  its 
forms,  except  as  a  medicine." 

In  the  winter  of  1838-39,  while  Mr.  Emerson 
was  in  feeble  health,  a  revival  occurred  under  the 
preaching  of  Rev.  Leonard  Griffin  of  Gloucester,  a 
Methodist  minister.  Mr.  Griffin  was  a  man  of  power 
in  the  pulpit,  and  of  a  truly  Christian  spirit.  The 
revival  was  conducted  with  wisdom,  and  resulted  in 
large  additions  to  the  church.  Mr.  Griffin  is  still 
affectionately  remembered  by  the  few  who  remain 
who  shared  his  evangelistic  labors.  Mr.  Emerson 
preached  a  few  months  in  Heath,  Mass.,  after  leav- 
ing Manchester,  and  died  in  that  mountain  town, 
July  20,  1841.      . 

With  regard  to  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  re- 
lation, his  daughter,  Mrs.  Mary  Emerson  Brown, 
writes  under  date,  Nov.  21,  1894 : 

"  Though  but  ten  years  of  age  when  broken  health 
obliged  my  father  to  leave  his  much  loved  charge,  I  have 
not  forgotten  those  days,  so  sad  to  my  parents,  of  parting 
from  the  many  friends  who  during  all  the  years  of  faithful 
ministry  had  become  very  dear  to  them.  I  remember  hear- 
ing my  mother  say  how  very  patient  the  people  had  been 
through  all  my  father's  protracted  illness,  hoping  these 
months  of  waiting  might  result  in  ultimate  recovery." 

This  is  a  testimony  honorable  alike  to    pastor  and 
people. 

The  successor  of  Mr.  Emerson  was  Rev.  Oliver  A. 


CHUECHES    AND    CHUECH    BUILDINGS.  235 

Taylor,  who  accepted  the  charge  of  the  church,  with 
a  salary  of  seven  hundred  dollars.  He  was  installed 
Sept.  18,  1839,  and  continued  his  labors  until  his 
death,  Dec.  18,  1851.  Mr.  Taylor  spent  his  boy- 
hood days  in  Hawley,  Franklin  County ;  graduated 
at  Union  College,  1825  ;  and  studied  theology  at 
Andover.  He  was  one  of  a  remarkable  family,  both 
father  and  mother  being  distinguished  for  piety  and 
character,  and  four  of  the  sons  becoming  ministers  of 
the  gospel. 

Mr.  Ta}dor  was  somewhat  noted  among  his  min- 
isterial brethren  as  a  scholar  and  a  writer.  His  life, 
written  by  a  brother.  Rev.  Timothy  A.  Taylor, 
shows  him  to  have  been  a  man  of  strong  character, 
of  well-disciplined  mind,  of  large  attainments,  and 
thoroughly  devoted  to  the  work  to  which  he  had 
been  called.  He  suffered  for  most  of  his  life  the 
drawback  of  ill  health. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  a  good  Hebraist  and  was  ac- 
quainted with  the  Arabic.  And  what  was  still 
more  remarkable  in  his  day,  he  was  a  good  German 
scholar. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  not  a  man  who  loved  controversy. 
He  admitted  that  he  "  could  not  bear  the  cross-cuts 
and  sharp  retorts  of  debates."  He  was  ill-fitted  for 
the  stormy  era  of  anti-slavery  discussion,  and  some- 
times seemed  to  his  friends  over-cautious  and  timid. 
But  none  ever  doubted  his  sincerity  and  true  good- 
ness of  heart.  When  he  finished  his  course,  the 
town  lost  a  faithful  minister  and  a  true  man.  His 
funeral  was  attended  in  one  of  the  wildest  winter 
storms  that  ever  swept  our  coast. 


236  HISTORY    0F    MANCHESTER. 

Rev.  Rufus  Taylor,  a  brother  of  the  former  pastor, 
was  installed  May  6,  1852.  On  his  return  from  a 
voyage  to  Russia  for  his  health,  in  1856,  he  was 
"  very  cordially  received,"  and  presented  with  a 
purse  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars  by  his 
parishioners.  The  next  year,  however,  a  growing 
dissatisfaction  resulted  in  a  sundering  of  the  pas- 
toral relation.  Mr.  Taylor  continued  to  preach  in 
the  meeting-house  until  late  in  the  fall  of  1857, 
when  with  a  minority  of  the  church  and  society  he 
began  to  hold  services  in  another  building,  "  they 
claiming  to  be  the  First  Congregational  Church." 
A  council,  convened  Dec.  16,  1857,  decided  "  that 
neither  party  without  the  other  had  a  claim  to  be 
the  Congregational  Church,  and  dismissed  Mr.  Tay- 
lor from  all  his  church  and  parish  relations."  The 
number  of  seceding  members  was  seventy-nine,  the 
number  who  remained  was  one  hundred.  Mr.  Tay- 
lor wisely  accepted  the  decision  of  the  council  and 
left  the  town.  He  afterward  received  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity,  and  died  at  his  home,  Beverly, 
N.  J.,  Aug.  18,  1894,  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years 
and  a  few  months. 

The  minority  continued  to  maintain  separate  ser- 
vices, effected  a  church  organization,  and  called  Rev. 
Francis  V.  Tenney  as  pastor.  He  was  installed 
Aug.  15,  1858,  and  the  present  Chapel  was  fitted  for 
the  use  of  the  church  and  society.  A  reunion  of 
the  two  churches  was  brouglit  about  in  1869,  and 
the  Chapel  was  presented  by  Mrs.  Abby  H.  Trask  to 
the  original  society  by  whom  it  is  now  used  for 
social  meetings. 


CHURCHES    AND    CHURCH   BUILDINGS.  237 

The  successor  of  Rev.  Rufus  Taylor  was  Rev. 
George  E.  Freeman  who  was  ordained  October  5, 
1858,  and  dismissed  at  his  own  request,  November 
18,    1862.  Mr.     Freeman's    pastorate    was    not 

noteworthy  in  any  particular.  He  had  the  con- 
fidence of  the  people  as  "  a  good  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

Rev.  Edward  P.  Tenney  became  pastor,  Nov.  3, 
1862,  and  continued  in  that  relation  until  Sept.  30, 
1867.  Mr.  Tenney's  pastorate  included  the  greater 
part  of  the  period  of  the  Civil  War,  and  was  help- 
ful in  many  ways  to  the  interests  not  only  of  the 
church  but  of  the  town.  It  is  not  invidious  to  say 
that  Mr.  Tenney's  preaching  was  of  an  original 
order,  suggestive  and  richly  imaginative,  reminding 
the  more  thoughtful  of  his  hearers  of  the  odor  of  far- 
gathered  herbs  and  flowers.  Since  leaving  the  pas- 
torate, Mr.  Tenney  has  been  engaged  in  educational 
and  literary  work. 

Rev.  George  L.  Gleason  succeeded  Mr.  Tenney  ; 
he  was  installed  April  7,  1869,  and  dismissed  by 
council  at  his  own  request,  Sept.  21,  1881.  He  is  at 
present  pastor  in  Haverhill,  Mass.  Mr.  Gleason  is 
pleasantly  remembered  by  many  not  belonging  to  his 
particular  sheep-fold  as  the  genial  minister  and 
everj^body's  friend. 

In  recent  years  the  changes  have  been  frequent. 
Rev.  D.  O.  Clark  was  installed  April  20,  1882,  and 
left  Feb.  6,  1885.  Rev.  Daniel  Marvin  followed 
from  March,  1886,  to  November,  1892.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  J.  P.  Ashley  for  about  six  months, 
and  by  Rev.  Samuel  Reid  for  about  the  same  length 


238  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

of  time.     The  present  j^astor,  Rev.  Francis  A.  Fate, 
was  installed  Nov.  1,  1894. 

The  later  history  is  briefly  dismissed,  chiefly  be- 
cause it  lacks  perspective.  Events  which  seem  un- 
important in  the  passing,  stand  out  with  bold  relief 
very  often  when  viewed  through  the  lengthened 
vista  of  years.  And  men  who  are  seen  too  close  at 
liand  do  not  always  show  their  real  stature  and 
dimensions  to  us.  We  know  men  better,  often,  after 
they  are  dead  than  when  they  are  living. 


Wames  of  the  Deacons  of  the  Church. 

Benjamin  Allen,  Samuel  Lee,  Benjamin  Lee,  Jonathan 
Herrick,  John  Tewksbury,  John  Allen,  Jacob  Tewksbury, 
D.  L.  Bingham,  N^athan  Allen,  Andrew  Brown,  Enoch 
Allen,  Albert  E.  Low,  Henry  Knight,  John  Price,  John 
Fowler,  Oliver  Koberts,  Andrew  Brown,  Daniel  Leach, 
F.  A.  P.  Killam. 


CHUECHES    AND    CHURCH    BUILDINGS.  239 

MEETING  HOUSES. 

The  meetings  of  the  first  settlers  for  religious  wor- 
ship were  probably  held  in  private  houses.  In  1656, 
appears  the  following  record: 

"  Ye  2"^  of  ye  12  mo.  It  was  at  a  general  town  meethig 
agreed  upon  that  a  meeting-house  should  be  built,  18  feet 
long,  with  two  Gable  ends,  to  be  set  near  the  Landing-place, 
and  the  planters  are  to  come  and  cut  the  timber  this  day 
fortnight.  William  Bennett,  John  Pickworth  and  Sannuel 
Friend  are  to  oversee  the  getting  of  the  timber  and  if  any 
man  neglects  to  work  he  is  to  give  a  sufficient  reason  for 
his  absence  or  pay  5  shillings  for  his  neglect."  ^ 

In  1691,  the  meeting-house  was  found  too  small 
and  much  in  need  of  repair.  The  following  record 
is  dated  "  eighteenth  day  of  January  169  J  "  ; 

"  Whereas  our  old  meeting  house  being  the  most  part 
Considerable  part  of  it  Eottun  and  the  sd  house  also  being 
too  small  to  Acomodate  our  people  When  Conveined 
to  gether  for  the  Worship  and  service  of  god  It  is 
therefore  voted  and  fully  agreed  to  have  a  new  meeting 
hous  built  of  these  Dimentions  [thirty  by  twenty-five  feet, 
sixteen  feet  in  height],  with  a  —  belvery  on  the  top  of  sd 
house  suteable  for  a  good  Bell  of  about  a  hundred  Waight 
or  more  and  three  galeries  to  be  built  that  is  to  say  one  on 
Avon  side  of  the  whole  Length  of  sd  house  and  the  other  tow 
at  each  end  the  whole  breadth  of  sd  house  .  .  .  the  sd 
house  be  every  ways  Comi^letely  finished  with  seats  and  all 
other  decent  and  suteable  Apartainances  theirto  Convien- 
iaut.- 

This  house  was  not  fully  paid  for  until  1695, 
when  an  assessment  was  made  on  fort3Miine  persons 

1  This  action  on  the  part  of  the  town  anticipated  by  almost  twenty  years 
any  compulsory  legislation.  It  was  in  1675  that  it  was  enacted  that  a  meet- 
ing-house should  be  erected  in  every  town  in  the  colon}'. 

*  Town  Records,  1,  44. 


240 


HISTOKY    OF    MANCHESTER. 


to  defray  the  cost,  amounting  to  Xlll  16s.  It  was 
sold  in  1720  for  ,£12.  In  1695,  a  Bell  was  pre- 
sented by  George  Norton;  it  was  not  hung,  however, 
until  the  following  year. 

In  1696  a  Committee  was  appointed 

"  to  seate  each  and  every  parson  from  time  to  time  as  thare 
is  ocation  in  tlie  sd  meting  hovis  Acording  to  each  and 
every  persons  proportion  that  he  paid  towards  the  building 
of  the  sd  hous  and  allso  According  to  what  such  Doe  now 
pay  to  the  ministry  as  nere  as  they  can  unless  in  case  of 
any  antient  grave  sober  persons  and  of  good  conver- 
sation." 

An  Ancient  Landmark. 


'"^4^^^ 


■  '(:■■■''."  '■"•y/^ 


Third  Mehting-House,  1720-1809. 


Oct.  28,  1696,  "  it  was  voted  and  agreed  to  give  to 
Ephram  Jons  one  pound  and  fower  shillings  per  year  for  to 
ring  the  bell  and  swepe  the  metting  hous  and  to  perform 
the  office  of  a  sacston  acording  to  the  orders  of  the  sealect 
men." 

This  house  seems  not  to  have  met  the  wants  of 
the  people,  as   in   less   than  thirty  years   it  was  re- 


CHURCHES    AND    CHURCH   BUILDINGS.  241 

placed  by  another  and  larger  house  ;  the  action  of 
the  town  betokens  earnestness  and  liberality,  joined 
with  a  thrifty  economy.  A  vote  Avas  passed,  Dec. 
22,  1719,  "to  bueld  a  new  Meting  house  as  fast  as 
it  can  be  Dun."     This  house  was  to 

"  be  buelt  49  feet  Long  and  35  feet  wied  and  20  feet  stud," 
and  was  to  be  "  plauket  and  not  studed."  At  tbe  same 
meeting,  the  Committee  were  instructed  to  "  agree  with  a 
artefeshal  workmen  to  oversee  y^  workers  tt  to  work  them- 
selves as  Cheep  as  they  can." 

The  front  door  of  this  house,  with  its  home-made 
latch  and  strap  hinges,   has  done 
duty  for  many  years  in  the  south- 
ern end  of  the  Foster  warehouse  ; 
it  is  now  much  dilapidated.     The 
sounding-board,  after  being  built 
into    the    ceiling    of    a  house   at 
West  Manchester,  was  secured  a 
few  years  ago  by  Dea.  A.  E.  Low       ^^  *  -^" ""    ■=^' 
and    deposited    in  the  Public   Li- 
brary Building.      A  "pew  for  Negroes"  was  built 
in  this  house  in  1737. 

In  1750,  the  town  voted  "  To  Repear  the  Meeting 
house."  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  remarkable 
action  was  had: 

"  Voted  that  the  Proprietors  in  the  Meeting  house  in 
Manchester  And  the  Xon  j^ropritors  vote  together  in  Town 
Meeting  in  the  affair  under  consideration  viz  for  Eepear- 
ing  or  Inlarging  the  said  Meeting  house  any  Law  or  Rea- 
son to  the  Contrary  notwithstanding."  ^  In  1752,  it  Avas 
voted  "  To  Build  a  Stephel."  It  was  in  1754,  however, 
that  it  was  actually  l^uilt  '^  froni  the  ground  upward."  ^ 

1  Toioi  Records,  ii,  58. 


242  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Ill  the  same  yenv  a  weathercock  was  provided  by 
the  town.'  In  1785,  a  bell  was  purchased  weigh- 
ing three  hundred  pounds,  and  costing  <£58  3s.  7d. 
This  bell  remained  in  the  steeple  until  1845,  when 
it  was  replaced  by  the  munificence  of  a  citizen  by  a 
much  larger  one. 

In  1809,  a  new  Meeting-house  was  built  at  a  cost 
of  eighty-five  hundred  dollars.  It  is  a  fine  specimen 
of  the  church  architecture  of  New  England  of  that 
period.  It  occupies  about  the  same  site  as  that  occu- 
pied by  the  former  meeting-houses.  It  has  under- 
gone but  little  change  in  its  exterior,  the  proprietors 
wisely  withstanding  any  tendency  to  modernize  the 
historic  and  venerable  structure.  It  was  built  of  the 
best  materials,  and  its  solid  timbers  bid  fair  to  out- 
live another  century.  The  interior  of  the  house  was 
remodelled  in  1845  ;  the  old  square  pews  were  re- 
moved and  some  other  changes  were  made.  The 
arched  window  in  the  rear  of  the  pulpit  has  rendered 
a  useful  service  since  taken  from  its  original  posi- 
tion, in  a  small  building  belonging  to  Mr.  Solomon 
D.  Allen,  on  Bennett  street.  An  oval  tablet  which 
was  above  the  window  and  bore  the  inscription, 
"Built,  1809,"  has  recently  been  discovered  in  the 
tower  among  some  rubbish,  and  has  been  regilded 
and  now  marks  the  date  of  erection  on  the  front  of 
the  edifice.  Another  tablet  on  the  front  of  the 
pulpit  with  the  ecclesiastical  device  "  I.  H.  S.,"  has 
long  since  disappeared.     It  would  be  interesting  to 

1  This  is  the  same  as  still  surmounts  the  tow.^r  of  the  present  church, 
having  looked  the  -wiml  in  the  eye  for  one  hundred  and  forty  years.  Its 
cost  was  £7  10s.  8d. 


,«^=^ 


r" 


(242) 


congke<;a  rioN  AL  <iiri!rii. 


CHUKCHES    AND   CHURCH    BUILDINGS.  243 

know  the  history  of  such  an  inscription  in  a   church 
and  town  of  so  purely  Puritan  lineage. 

It  was  not  until  1821,  that  the  house  possessed 
any  means  of  warming  it  in  the  bitterest  winter 
weather.  Our  ancestors  were  content  with  "  foot- 
stoves,'"  and  sat  out  the  long  sermons  and  prayers 
without  flinching.  After  considerable  delay  and 
opposition,  and  many  arguments  that  the  proposed 
innovation  would  render  the  young  puny  and  effem- 
inate and  endanger  the  health  of  the  congregation, 
"  a  heavy  cast-iron  box  stove,  absurdly  small  for  the 
large  space  it  was  expected  to  warm,"  was  placed  in 
front  of  the  pulpit.  Mr.  Tappan  relates  an  amusing 
incident  in  connection  with  this  event: 

"  The  first  cold  Sunday  after  it  had  been  placed  in  posi- 
tion, the  people  all  went  to  meeting  fully  prepared  to  watch 
the  result  of  the  experiment.  Many  felt  it  uncomfortably 
warm;  and  two  young  women  were  so  overcome  by  the 
•'  baked  air  '  they  fainted,  and  were  taken  to  the  vestibule 
where  the  atmosphere  was  of  a  better  quality.  But  the 
next  day  it  was  learned,  the  wood  for  the  stove  had  not 
been  received,  and  no  fire  had  been  made;  this  proved  a 
fatal  blow  to  the  opposition,  and  but  little  was  said  upon  the 
subject  afterwards." 

Times  change,  but  the  old  meeting-house  on  the 
village  green  still  stands,  a  symbol  of  the  ancient 
faith. 

'  Even  these  were  used  only  by  ladies  and  invalids. 

March  20,  1TV5,  it  was  voted  "  that  the  Saxton  be  and  hereby  is  ap- 
pointed &  Impowered  by  the  T&wn  to  sue  for  and  recover,  of  any  Person 
that  shall  Leave  a  stove  in  the  Meeting  House  on  any  occasion  whatever,  a 
fine  of  two  shillings  and  to  have  the  same  for  his  Trouble."  This  was,  no 
doubt,  on  account  of  the  great  dread  of  fire. 


244  EUSTOIIY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

PARSONAGES. 

The  first  minister's  house  was  built,  it  is  sup- 
posed, in  1685,  and  stood  near  the  present  site  of 
Daniel  W.  Friend's  house,  on  School  street.  The 
land  was  given  by  the  Proprietors,  and  is  described 
as  "  a  small  parcel  of  land  lying  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Brook  below  the  Saw-mill,  it  being  about  |  of 
an  acre  lying  between  said  brook  and  the  highway." 
On  the  23''  of  April,  1699,  this  house  was  sold  to 
John  Tarrin,  shoemaker,  "  for  the  sum  of  twenty 
pounds  curant  money  of  new  ingland.  .  .  .  the 
mony  to  be  Improved  towards  a  ministry  hous." 
The  house  was  afterwards  moved,  enlarged  and 
finally  taken  down  in  1853,  having  stood  nearly  one 
hundred  and  seventy  years. 

At  a  town  meeting,  April  23,  1699,  a  Committee 
was  appointed  to  build  a  new  Parsonage,  "  forty-two 
feet  long,  eighteen  feet  wide  and  fourteen  feet  stud, 
to  be  located  near  the  meeting-house."  This  house 
stood  near  where  Capt.  John  Carter's  house  now 
stands,  and  was  occupied  by  Rev.  Nicholas  Webster. 
In  1716,  it  was  given  by  the  town,  with  an  acre  and  a 
half  of  land  adjoining,  extending  to  the  lot  on  which 
the  Baptist  Meeting-house  stands,  to  Rev.  Ames 
Cheever.  This  land  was  given  to  the  town  by  the 
Proprietors  of  the  Four  Hundred  acres,  April  6, 1716. 

The  third  Parsonage  was  bought  by  the  town  in 
1745,  for  Rev.  Benjamin  Tappan.  The  estate  was 
on  the  northerly  side  of  Saw  Mill  brook,  and  nearly 
opposite  the  first  Parsonage.  It  comprised  a  dwell- 
ing-house, barn  and  five  acres  of  land.  (  Vide  Ap- 
pendix B.) 


"Near  yonder  copse,  where  once  the  garden  smiled, 
And  still  where  many  a  garden  flower  grows  wild. 
There,  where  a  few  torn  shrubs  the  place  disclose, 
The  village  preacher's  modest  mansion  rose." 


(244J 


OLD   RED   HOUSE. 


CHURCHES   AND   CHURCH    BUILDINGS.  245 

The  fourth  Parsonage  was  built  for  Rev.  Abraham 
Randall  in  1803,  the  town  furnishing  the  timber 
from  the  Parish  Woodland.  This  house  is  still 
standing  on  Union  street.  It  has  been  greatly 
altered  and  modernized  within  a  few  years,  and  is  no 
longer  recognizable. 

The  fifth  Paisonage  was  built  in  1811-12,  for 
Rev.  James  Thurston,  the  town  conveying  the  lot  to 
Mr.  Thurston  for  the  consideration  of  one  dollar 
(which  was  paid  for  him  by  a  friendly  parishioner). 
The  house  was  occupied  by  Mr.  Thurston  and  by  his 
successors.  Rev.  Samuel  M.  Emerson  and  Rev.  Oliver 
A.  Taylor.  It  was  afterwards  purchased  and  occu- 
pied by  the  late  Thomas  P.  Gentlee.  It  is  of  the 
style  common  in  the  early  part  of  the  century,  with 
a  hall  running  through  the  house  and  four  large 
rooms  in  both  stories.  In  front  of  it  stands  a  weep- 
ing elm  (a  variety  of  the  Wych  Elm  or  Wych  Hazel, 
ulmus  montana)^  whose  branches  droop  across  the 
highway  in  a  beautiful  and  graceful  sweep. 

The  sixth  and  present  Parsonage  is  situated  on  a 
court  leading  from  Union  street.  This  house  has 
had  a  varied  history.  It  first  stood  on  the  street  and 
was  used  as  a  barn  ;  it  was  afterwards  converted 
into  a  store,  with  a  hall  on  the  second  floor  which 
was  used  at  one  time  as  a  chapel  or  vestry,  and  also 
by  "  Master"  Price  as  a  schoolroom.  This  building, 
after  being  moved  to  the  present  site,  was  presented 
with  about  an  acre  of  land  to  the  church  by  Mrs. 
Sarah  Allen  in  1853,  "  for  a  parsonage  forever." 
It  has  been  occupied  by  the  pastors  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  since  the  time  of  Rev.  Oliver  A.Taylor. 


246  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

THE    BAPTIST    CHURCH. 

[A  part  of  this  sketch  was  furnished  by  the  author  for 
the  History  of  Essex  County,  Philadelphia,  1888,  vol.  11^ 
p.  1288.] 

It  is  not  difficult  to  picture  in  imagination,  a 
small  shallop  bearing  down  from  Salera  to  Jeffrey's 
Creek  on  a  summer  day,  somewhere  from  1631  to 
1635,  having  on  board  Mr.  Roger  Williams, 
"  teacher,"  and  afterwards  "  minister,"  of  the  First 
church  in  Salem,  on  his  way  to  break  the  bread  of 
life  to  the  few  fisherfolk  who  lived  along  the  shore, 
and  whose  log-cabins  began  to  rise  here  and  there  in 
the  woods.  There  is  no  historical  mention,  or  even 
tradition,  however,  of  such  a  visit;  and  if  the  apostle 
of  "  soul-liberty  "  ever  stepped  on  the  shores  of  Man- 
chester, he  appears  to  have  left  no  footprint  behind 
him. 

The  history  of  Baptist  opinions  in  this  town  it  is 
impossible  at  this  late  day  to  rescue  from  oblivion; 
but  the  history  of  the  Baptish  ch.wrch  may  be  briefly 
told.  There  had  no  doubt  been  persons  in  town  who 
held  more  or  less  clearly  and  fully  the  views  of  doc- 
trine and  Christian  ordinances  which  serve  to  differ- 
entiate Baptists  from  their  fellow-believers.  But 
events  waited  long  for  the  hour  and  the  man;  and 
the  first  movement  was  not  in  the  direction  of  the 
formation  of  a  regular  Baptist  church. 

It  was  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1842,  that  Elder 
Elam  Burnham,  of  Essex,  began  to  hold  meetings 
from  time  to  time  in  the  room  formerly  occupied  by 
the  Public  Library,  on  School  street,  on  the  site  of 
the  present  Engine-house,  and  afterv/ards  in  a  hall 


IIAI'TI.ST    CHUIUll. 


Space  here  left  for  the  new  Unitarian  church 
until  the  work  went  to  press. 


CHURCHES    AND   CHUECH   BUILDINGS.  247 

in  the  Tavern.  The  preaching  gave  special  promi- 
nence to  the  Second  Advent  of  Christ,  and,  as  was 
common  at  that  time,  aroused  a  good  deal  of  interest, 
and  was  met  by  corresponding  opposition.  Elder 
Burnham  was  a  man  of  strong  nature  and  indomi- 
table will,  and  his  preaching  was  with  power,  A 
number  were  baptized  by  him,  and  on  April  10, 
1843,  thirteen  men  and  women  met  and  formed 
themselves  into  a  church.  A  few  days  later,  fifty- 
seven  others  joined  the  new  organization,  making 
seventy  in  all.  The  body  called  itself  a  "  Christian  " 
church ;  it  adopted  no  creed  but  the  New  Testament, 
and  claimed  to  be  independent  of  any  religious  de- 
nomination ;  it  was  organized,  however,  on  the  model 
of  the  so-called  "  Christian  Connection." 

Measures  were  taken  at  once  to  build  a  meeting- 
house, and  on  Feb.  28,  1844,  the  building  was 
opened  for  worship. 

Mr.  Burnham  remained  with  the  church  but  one 
year,  his  gifts  fitting  him  better  for  pioneer  work 
than  for  the  work  of  a  pastor.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Rev.  O.  J.  Waite,  from  1844  to  1848.  Rev.  P. 
R.  Russell  became  pastor  in  1848,  and  remained 
three  years.  It  was  during  Mr.  Russell's  pastorate 
that  the  church  became  a  regular  Baptist  church, 
and  on  Feb.  28,  1850,  was  recognized  by  a  Council 
called  for  that  purpose,  according  to  the  usages  of 
the  Baptist  denomination.  Mr.  Russell  was  a  man 
of  ability  and  character,  and  his  pastorate  was  a 
means  of  uplifting  the  church  in  the  community. 
During  his  ministry,  he  preached  a  series  of  dis- 
courses on  the  Life  of  Christ,  which  were  afterwards 


248  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

published ;  while  not  showing  any  originality  or 
literary  finish,  they  are  said  to  have  been  highly 
valued  by  many  who  heard  them.  He  also  lec- 
tured and  wrote  on  Universalism  and  Materialism. 
Judging  from  his  published  works,  Mr.  Russell's 
strength  seems  to  have  been  in  handling  controverted 
subjects. 

Rev.  G.  W.  Davis  served  the  church  in  1851  and 
1852.  He  was  followed  by  Rev.  G.  F.  Danforth 
from  1853  to  1856.  Mr.  Danforth  is  remembered  as 
a  man  of  excellent  and  amiable  qualities,  who 
served  in  the  ministry  in  the  weakness  of  declining 
health,  until  compelled  to  relinquish  his  loved  work 
by  the  disease  which  soon  after  terminated  his  use- 
ful life.     He  was  a  man  of  the  Beatitudes. 

Rev.  C.  W.  Reding  was  the  next  pastor,  from 
1856  to  1861.  His  ministry  was  a  pleasant  and 
prosperous  one;  he  had  a  large  place  in  the  hearts 
of  the  people.  Mr.  Reding  is  living  at  an  advanced 
age,  in  Beverly  Farms,  loved  and  revered  by  all  who 
know  him.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  L.  B.  Hatch, 
1863-68,  Rev.  H.  F.  H.  Miller,  1870-71,  Rev. 
C.  D.  Swett,  1873-75,  Rev.  C.  T.  Holt,  1879-81. 
For  three  years  the  church  was  without  a  pastor, 
and  was  in  a  depressed  condition.  On  Jan.  1,  1881, 
Rev.  D.  F.  Lamson,  of  Hartford,  Conn.,  began  his 
service  as  stated  supply  of  the  church. 

There  have  been  but  few  Sundaj^s  when  the 
meetinw-house  has  been  closed  for  want  of  a 
preacher,  although  there  have  been  several  periods 
when  the  church  was  for  a  considerable  time  with- 
out  a    pastor.       During    these    times   recourse   was 


CHURCHES    AND    CHURCH    BUILDINGS.  249 

often  had  for  a  pulpit  supply  to  Newton  Theological 
Institution.  Mention  should  also  be  made  of  the 
helpful  labors  of  "  Father  "  Fitts  '  (as  he  was  famil- 
iarly and  affectionately  called),  at  various  times, 
also  of  Rev.  W.  C.  Richards,  whose  faithful  and 
tender  ministrations  are  still  remembered.  Under 
the  labors  of  the  former  of  these  brethren,  especially, 
whose  "  praise  is  in  all  the  churches,"  and  during 
the  pastorates  of  Brethren  Reding  and  Hatch,  sea- 
sons of  revival  interest  were  enjoyed,  which  mate- 
rially strengthened  the  church  as  well  as  enlarged 
its  membership.  During  the  present  pastorate, 
forty  have  united  with  the  church  by  baptism. 

The  church  has  never  been  a  strong  one  in  num- 
"bers  or  in  wealth.  It  has  had  much  to  contend 
Avith  in  its  early  history  and  its  subsequent  growth. 
It  has  suffered  much  by  removals  and  deaths;  the 
manner  of  its  formation  was  peculiar,  and  after 
circumstances  were  not  favorable  to  homogeneous 
development.  At  one  time,  in  its  earlier  days,  it 
was  threatened  with  a  formal  division;  but  wiser 
■counsels  prevailed,  and  the  church  has  grown  in 
harmony  Avithin,  and  increased  by  additions  from 
without. 

The  church  has  licensed  three  ministers  of  the 
gospel,  Samuel  Cheever,  Thomas  C.  Russell  (son  of 
Rev.  P.  R.  Russell)  and  Benjamin  F.  Tuck. 

Mr.  Cheever  labored  chiefly  as  an  evangelist;  he  retired 
from  the  work  some  years  before  his  death  in  1892. 

Mr.  Russell  was  ordained  at  Barnstable,  Mass.,  'Nov.  17, 
1858;  he  has  had  pastorates  also  in  Billerica,  Mass.,  New 

1  Rev.  Hervey  Fitts,  Missionary  of  the  Baptist  State  Convention. 


250  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Boston,  N.  H.,  Leominster,  Mass.,  Mansfield,  Mass.,. 
Palmer,  Mass.,  Springvale,  Me.,  Swami^scott,  Mass.,  Sun- 
cook,  J^.  H. 

Mr.  Tuck  was  ordained  June  7,  1871,  at  Bernardston, 
Mass.;  his  other  places  of  settlement  have  been  Belcher- 
town,  Mass.,  Hinsdale,  N.  H.,  South  Acworth,  N.  H., 
South  Windham,  Vt.,  West  Sutton,  Mass.,  Amherst,  N.  H. 
He  is  at  present  on  the  retired  list. 

The  church  and  society  have  been  out  of  debt 
since  1884,  when  an  indebtedness  resulting  from  a 
remodelling  of  the  house  of  worship  a  few  years  be- 
fore was  cancelled. 

THE   EPISCOPAL   CHURCH:. 

A  little  west  of  the  Masconomo  House,  on  the 
road  to  Lobster  Cove,  stands  Emanuel  Church.  It 
is  on  the  land  of  Russell  Sturgis,  Esq.,  and  its  erec- 
tion is  due  to  that  gentleman.  It  is  a  churchly  lit- 
tle building,  with  lych-gate,  mantling  ivy  and 
"  storied  window  richly  dight.''  It  is  for  the  use 
especially  of  summer  residents,  and  is  open  only 
during  the  "  season,"  when  it  receives  within  its 
walls  more  wealth  and  fashion  and  culture  than  are 
found  often  in  cliurches  of  much  larger  size  and 
greater  pretensions.  It  is  viewed,  however,  rather 
as  an  exotic  by  some  of  the  permanent  residents. 

THE    CATHOLIC    CHURCH. 

The  Roman  Catholics  have  a  building  on  School 
street,  built  in  1873.  It  is  a  small,  neat  structure, 
sufficiently  large  for  the  wants  of  its  winter  congre- 
gations, but  inconveniently  crowded  in  summer.  It 
belongs  to  the  parish  of  St.  Mary  Star  of  the  Sea,, 
Beverly. 


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CATHOLIC   CEIl'RCH. 


CHURCHES   AND    CHURCH    BUILDINGS.  251 

THE   UNIVERSALISTS. 

Members  of  this  denomination  have  held  meetings 
at  different  times,  in  the  Town  Hall,  but  have  had 
no  permanent  organization. 

THE     UNITARIANS. 

In  the  summer  of  1895,  a  building  to  be  used  for 
Unitarian  services  was  erected  on  Masconomo  street, 
by  some  of  the  summer  residents. 

The  dream  of  ecclesiastical  unity  indulged  in  by  the 
fathers  has  not  been  fulfilled  in  the  later  history  of  their 
descendants.  Perhaps  the  hope  of  any  external  and  formal 
Union  in  matters  of  conscience  and  religion  is  a  delusive 
one.  But  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  denominational  walls  are 
not  so  high  but  that  we  can  at  least  see  over  them,  though 
we  may  be  of  less  stalwart  stature  than  those  who  first 
reared  them.  We  shall  do  well  if,  in  this  age,  we  can  live 
up  to  the  spirit  of  the  ancient  maxim,  "  In  essentials,  unity ; 
in  non-essentials,  liberty;  in  all  things,  charity.'''' 


APPENDIXES, 


APPENDIX  A. 
A  Sunday  i:n^    the    Olden   Time. 

It  is  needless,  perhaps,  to  say  that  in  this  slcetch  the  author  lias  al- 
lowed some  play  to  the  imagination,  and  represented  some  things  as  syn- 
chronous which  were  really  separated  by  an  rnterval  of  several  years.  But 
nothing  is  narrated  but  might  have  occurred  in  Manchester  about  a  cen- 
tury and  a  half  ago.  The  atmosphere  is  historical,  as  are  many  of  the 
names  and  events.  The  paper  was  originally  read  before  the  Historical 
Society,  July  7,  1890,  and  was  published  in  the  Magazine  of  American 
History,  September,  1890.    It  is  here  reproduced  by  request. 

The  first  rude  cabins  of  the  men  of  the  "  Dorchester 
company,"  and  others,  who  had  landed  at  Jeffrey's 
Creek,  or  had  come  overland  from  Naumkeag,  and  had 
"  set  up  a  fishing-stage  "  and  broken  the  forest  here  and 
there,  had  given  place  to  somewhat  more  commodious 
and  permanent  dwellings.  The  meeting-house  of  the 
humble  size  of  "  eighteen  feet  in  length  with  two 
gables,"  which  the  piety  of  the  early  settlers  had  erected 
near  "  the  landing,"  and  whose  plain  appearance  aptly 
symbolized  the  simple  faith  of  the  Puritans,  had  been 
succeeded  by  one  of  somewhat  larger  proportions,  but 
of  the  same  unadorned  style,  where  the  people  gathered 
on  the  Sabbath  to  listen  to  argumentative  discourses 
and  to  feed  their  devotion  on  long  prayers  and  the 
Psalms  of  David  "  done  into  metre." 

It  is  a  Sunday  in  May,  17 .     The  corn  has  been 

planted;  the  shad  bush  and  wild  plum  are  in  flower; 
the  waters  of  Saw  Mill  brook,  swollen  b}'  the  late  rains, 
rush  and  foam  through  the  woods  to  the  sea;  the  ex- 
panse of  ocean  as  seen  from  Image  Hill  sparkles  in  the 
morning  sun;  for,  notwithstanding  the  "eastern  glint" 

255 


256  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

in  the  morninej,  the  day  proves  cloudless ;  water-fowl 
wheel  their  flight  slowly  through  the  air ;  the  only 
sounds  are  the  distant  lowing  of  cattle,  the  songs  of  in- 
numerable birds,  the  gentle  sighing  in  the  tree-tops,  the 
lap  of  waves  on  the  shingly  shore.  With  the  going 
down  of  the  sun  on  the  previous  day,  the  labors  of  the 
farm  and  the  household  ceased;  the  fishing-boat  was 
drawn  up  on  the  beach;  the  clatter  of  the  mill-wheel 
was  hushed;  and,  after  an  early  supper,  each  quiet  Puri- 
tan household  "prepared  to  keep  the  Sabbath." 

It  is  now  nine  of  the  clock  ;  the  simple  breakfast  of 
corn  mush  or  potatoes  and  milk,  with  the  addition,  per- 
haps, of  fish  or  bacon,  has  long  since  been  disposed  of; 
the  Sunday  clothes  taken  from  the  press,  carefully 
brushed  and  donned,  and  the  serious  business  of  the 
day  commenced.  The  house-dog  wears  a  sedate  look, 
and  plainly  thinks  that  a  Puritan  Sabbath  is  no  time  for 
frisking  and  frolic.  What  is  more  strange,  even  the 
youngsters  have  an  air  of  gravity,  the  modern  "  small- 
boy  "  not  yet  being  evolved  in  the  process  of  New  Eng- 
land development.  The  bell  j^resented  by  George  Nor- 
ton in  1695,  sounds  over  the  hills  to  call  the  little  com- 
munity to  worship.  Few  houses  can  boast  of  any  other 
time-piece  than  a  "  noon-mark  "  on  some  southern  win- 
dow-sill, and  the  ringing  of  the  bell  is  not  only  a  matter 
of  pride  but  a  necessity.  Soon,  along  quiet  woodland 
ways,  across  pastures  and  over  hills,  the  forefathers  and 
foremotliers,  with  a  goodly  array  of  children,  some  in 
arms,  some  walking  demurely  in  their  parents'  footsteps, 
glancing  now  and  then  at  some  squirrel  frisking  across 
the  path  or  some  jay  chattering  in  a  tree  overhead, 
gather  to  the  Sunday  rendezvous,  the  village  Meeting- 
house. 

There  is  no  laughter  or  loud  talk,  only  subdued  greet- 
ings  and  quiet  interchange    of    rural    intelligence,    as 


APPENDIX   A.  2ol 

acquaintances  meet  after  a  week's  isolation.  The  news 
that  Captain  Hooper  or  Captain  Leach  has  got  in  with 
a  good  fare  from  "  Georges  "  ;  or  that  Samuel  Morgan, 
just  returned  from  the  eastward,  has  brought  tidings 
from  Pemaquid  of  the  murder  by  the  Indians  of  the 
Hiltons,  father  and  son  ;  or  that  Goodman  Bennett's 
heifer  has  been  found  by  the  "  deer-reaves  "  ;  or  that  a 
son  and  heir  has  gladdened  the  hearts  of  the  worthy 
household  of  Malachi  Allen,  and  has  been  named  One- 
siiDliorus,  for  as  the  father  said,  "  Peradventure  he  will 
be  to  us  in  our  old  age  a  true  help-bringer  "  ;  —  these 
and  similar  harmless  bits  of  gossip  have  just  time  for 
expression,  but  not  for  enlargement,  when  the  groups 
gathered  on  the  green  observe  Parson  Tappan  slowly 
marching  from  the  parsonage-house  on  the  hill  toward 
the  Meeting-house.  With  stately  and  measured  step 
the  village  pastor  enters  the  house,  gravely  bowing  to 
right  and  left,  stopping  to  inquire  of  Mistress  Lee  for 
the  welfare  of  her  aged  mother,  who  has  just  "  turned 
of  ninety,"  and  perchance  to  pat  the  head  of  some 
trembling  and  awe-struck  urchin,  delighted  to  win  "  the 
good  man's  smile,"  or  to  cast  a  reproving  glance  at  some 
young  men  of  rather  light  behaviox",  who  had  come  down 
the  day  before  on  a  sloop  from  Boston,  and  to  look 
around  inquiringly  for  Goodman  Babcock,  the  "  tything- 
man."  The  people  take  their  places  as  they  have  been 
"seated"  by  the  Select-men.  A  few  of  the  more  dis- 
tinguished citizens,  those  who  bear  the  title  of  colonel, 
or  captain,  or  squire,  —  and  they  are  very  few  in  this 
essentially  democratic  community  ^  —  have  been  per- 
mitted to  "set  up  "  pews ;  others  must  fain  content 
themselves  with  benches.     The  congregation  does  not 

1  On  the  Assessors'  books  of  this  time  is  found  the  name  of  Honorable 
Daniel  Edwards,  Esqr.,  and  in  the  church  records,  under  date  of  May  2.', 
1754,  is  the  entry,  "  Died  the  Honorable  Judge  Marston  Esqr."  (Col.  Benj. 
Marstou?) 


258  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

present  so  picturesque  a  sight  as  in  Ipswich  or  New- 
bury meeting-houses,  in  communities  of  greater  wealth 
and  more  aristocratic  pretensions, 

"  where  in  order  due  and  fit, 
As  by  public  vote  directed,  ranked  and  classed  the  people  sit  ; 
Mistress  first  and  goodwife  after,   clerkly  squire  before   the 

clown. 
From  the  brave  coat  lace-embroidered,  to  the  gray  frock  shad- 
ing down." 

But  all  ages  are  here,  from  the  patriarch  with  snowy 
hair  to  the  little  babe ;  quavering  voices  join  in  the 
psalm,  and  young  hearts  under  kerchief  and  doublet 
beat  quicker  at  the  thought  of  the  "  banns  "  that  are  to 
be  "ijublished"  next  Sabbath.  A  few  Indians  and 
Negroes,  and  two  or  three  "  Frenchmen,"  ^  complete 
the  congregation,  made  up  for  the  most  part  of  "  free- 
men "  and  their  families.  Only  the  sick  and  infirm, 
the  very  aged  and  the  very  young,  are  missing ;  for  is 
there  not  a  fine  of  five  shillings  for  absence  from  public 
worship  ?  ^  The  congregation  soon  settles  itself ;  a  faint 
aroma  of  lavender  and  southernwood  is  in  the  air  ;  the 
rustle  of  leaves  and  the  songs  of  birds  float  in  through 
the  open  door,  mingling  with  the  breath  from  the  pines 
and  from  the  sea,  and  the  worship  begins. 

From  the  "singing-seats"  sounds  the  "  pitch-jiipe,"  ^ 

1  In  the  town  recorils  for  1757  is  the  following :  "  The  selectmen  are  em- 
powered to  let  the  French  men  to  John  Foster  for  one  year  for  one  hun- 
(Iren  and  ten  pounds,  Old  Tenor."  These  were  neutral  French  (Acadians) 
who  were  compelled  to  leave  Nova  Scotia  after  it  had  been  conquered  by 
the  English,  and  were  town  charges.  The  forced  expatriation  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Acadia  by  the  British,  with  Avhich  we  have  been  made  familiar 
in  Longfellow's  Evangeline,  is  frequently  brought  to  mind  by  references 
to  "Frenchmen,"  in  the  Records  of  the  Town.  "  Little  dreamed  the  village 
Saxons  of  the  myriads  at  their  back." 

=  Mass.  Records,  vol.  II,  208. 

3  Jacob  Allen,  probably  great-grandson  of  William  Allen,  and  grand- 
father of  John  Perry  Allen,  "  pitched  the  tune  in  the  old  meeting-house  on 
the  Landing,  for  forty  years,  without  pay." 


APPENDIX  A.  259 

and  tenors  and  basses,  trebles  and  contraltos,  join  in 
Mears  or  St.  Martin's,  Dundee  or  Old  Hundred,  making 
such  harmony  as  they  can  in  voicing  one  of  the  para- 
phrases of  Tate  and  Brachj^  or  of  'Watti  "  Psalms  and 
Hymns."  ^  Before  the  "  long  prayer  "  a  note  is  read, 
"  put  up  "  by  the  family  of  Captain  Leach  for  his  safe 
return  from  Bilboa,  and  another  by  Xathaniel  Marsters, 
Constable,  asking  the  prayers  of  this  conoregation  that 
the  Lord  will  prosper  his  journey  to  Boston  the  coming 
week. 

Without  the  reading  of  Scripture  —  something  which, 
strangely  enough,  was  supposed  to  squint  at  least 
towards  Rome- — the  parson  turns  the  hour-glass,  names 
his  text  from  the  Book  of  Judges,  and  proceeds  with 
his  discourse.  With  formal  divisions  and  scholastic 
phraseology,  for  Parson  Tappan  was  one  of  the  "  pain- 
ful "  preachers  of  the  time,  aud  adjusting  Hebrew  his- 
tory to  the  exigencies  of  Xew  England  life,  the  sermon 
comes  at  last,  with  another  turn  of  the  glass,  to  "  nine- 
teenthly  "  and  the  close.  Good,  solid,  Puritan  theology, 
with  no  suspicion  of  clajj-trap  or  sensationalism  from 
beginning  to  end.  The  pulpit  had  not  found  the  need 
of  resorting  to  such  "  popular"  subjects  as  the  latest  ar- 
rival of  the  Speedtoell  or  the  Mind  and  Panther^  with 
news  of  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  or  "the  recent  ship- 
wreck at  Sandy  Bay,"  or  "the  truth  concerning  Captain 
Underbill  and  the  Cocheco  scandal." 

In  the  course  of  the  sermon  a  disturbance  is  caused 
by    some   "pestigeous"    boys,    and    especially   by   one 

1  Watts' iy;/mns  were  published  in  England  in  1707,  and  his  Songs  oj 
David  in  1719.  They  were  introduced  into  the  church  in  Manchester  in 
1753.  (Palfrey  says  that  tliey  began  to  be  generally  adopted  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary period.  Vol.  V,  '221  n.)  They  were  a  great  advance  upon  the  often 
uncouth  rhymes  of  Tate  and  Brady,  and  gradually  supplanted  that  collec- 
tion in  the  psalmody  of  the  New  England  churches,  and  for  wellnigh  a 
century  held  an  almost  undisputed  place. 


260  HISTOEY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Pomp,  a  negro,^  making  strange  contortions  of  counte- 
nance, whereupon  he  is  called  forth  and  reproved  with 
great  awfulness  and  solemnity ;  some  children,  and  also 
a  mulatto  woman,  are  reprimanded  for  laughing  at 
Pomp's  scandalous  demeanor.- 

The  service  was  simple  and  bare  of  anything  that 
might  appeal  to  the  senses  or  an  aesthetic  taste.  Our 
fathers  had  suffered  too  much  and  too  recently,  to  be 
very  tolerant  of  anything  that  savored  of  a  liturgy  or 
reminded  them  of  the  church  of  Laud  and  Cranmer. 
They  had  as  scant  respect  for  processions,  genuflections, 
antiphons,  and  such  like  performances,  as  had  the  Dev- 
onshire clerk  for  the  proceedings  of  his  ritualistic  rector: 
"  First  he  went  up  the  church,  and  then  he  went  down 
the  church,  side-a-ways,  here-a-ways,  and  theer-a-ways, 
a  scrattlin'  like  a  crab."  '■'  Puritanism  was  an  extreme  re- 
action from  ritualism. 

The  noon  intermission  is  welcomed,  and  parties  gather 
here  and  there,  some  to  listen  to  Lieut.  May's  stoiy  of 
the  siege  of  Louisburg,  others  to  discuss  the  sermon  and 
the  tides,  Solomon  Driver's  black  steers,  the  sailing  of 
Skipper  Beai-'s  "  Chebacco  boat,"  the  meeting  of  the 
Great  and  General  Court,  the  ghost  lately  seen  on  the 
Gloucester  road,  the  "greate  black  oke"  struck  by 
lightning  in  the  swamp  near  Wolf  Trap  brook,  and  the 
mysterious  disappearance  of  Goodwife  Parsons'  mo- 
lasses, which  all  agreed  was  "bewitched."^     Luncheon  is 

1  According  to  a  census  of  the  town  taken  in  1761,  there  were  then 
twenty-three  negroes  and  mulattoes  in  Manchester,  seven  Acadians,  one 
Indian. 

2  Such  scenes,  and  others  even  more  mirth-provoking,  were  not  of  in 
frequent  occurrence,  as  the  old  records  testify.  We  read  in  an  old  auto- 
biography, "  diversions  was  frequent  in  meeting,  and  the  more  duller  the 
sermon,  the  more  likely  it  was  that  some  accident  or  mischief  would  be 
done  to  help  pass  the  time." 

3  Charles  Kingsley,  His  Letters,  etc.,  125. 

*A  common  explanation  of  anything  mysterious  and  annoying,  even 
long  after  the  terrible  Witchcraft  delusion  had  disappeared  from  these 
shores,  like  the  sea-wrack  before  the  besom  of  a  Nor'wester. 


APPENDIX    A.  261 

eaten,  the  horizon  is  scanned,  prognostications  are  sagely 
made  on  the  weather,  with  glances  at  the  weather-cock, 
bravely  looking  eastward,  the  whipping-post  and  stocks 
just  made  by  Thomas  Lee  are  examined  and  criticised, 
notes  are  compared  on  planting  and  on  building  a  weir  at 
Kettle  Cove,  the  young  men  and  maidens  return  from 
the  short  and  discreet  Sunday  ramble  to  the  brook,  in 
which  they  have  talked,  perchance,  of  otlier  things  be- 
sides the  morning  sermon,  such  as  the  wondrous  cures 
wrought  by  Molly  Morgan,  a  "  charmer  of  warts,"  who 
having  climbed  to  the  top  of  Moses  Hill  "was  aston- 
ished to  find  the  world  so  large,"  and  some  other  things 
not  strictly  in  the  "  odor  of  sanctit}',"  and  all  gather 
quietly  and  devoutly  for  the  afternoon  service.  This  is 
similar  to  that  of  the  forenoon,  except  that  the  preacher 
seems  to  aim  to  come  a  little  nearer,  to  use  Lord  Bacon's 
phrase,  to  his  hearers'  "  business  and  bosoms." 

His  text  is  from  the  words  of  Paul,  respecting  those 
who  "  having  itching  ears,  heap  to  themselves  teachers." 
He  takes  occasion  gravely  to  warn  his  fiock  against 
certain  irregularities  of  which  he  is  pained  to  hear  in 
the  parish  of  Chebacco,  where  Rev,  John  Cleaveland, 
one  of  the  "  New  Lights,"  is  stirring  up  the  people,  and 
where  a  good  deal  is  heard  of  "  new  measures,"  "  exper- 
imental religion,"  and  the  like.^ 

The  plain  words  of  the  parson  produce  a  decided 
effect  upon  the  congregation,  and  make  many  an  ear  to 
tingle  ;  for  is  it  not  known  in  all  the  parish  that  Edward 
Lee  and  some  others  have  been  going  over  to  Chebacco 
of  late  to  meeting,  declaring  that  their  souls  are  not  fed 
by  Parson  Tappan  ?  There  has  been  talk,  too,  of  a 
Council ;  it  is  even  whispered  that  letters  have  passed 
between  Parson  Cleaveland  and   Parson    Tappan,  and 

1  Vide  "A  Patriotic  Parson,"  by  D.  F.  Lamson,  Magazine  of  American 
mstortj,  vol.  XVIII,  237. 


262  HISTORiT    OF   MANCHESTER. 

many  wise  ones  are  of  the  opinion  that  something  must 
he  done  to  put  a  stop  to  the  erratic  goings-on  of  breachy 
parishioners,  and  to  preserve  the  order  and  peace  of  the 
c])urches. 

Such  monitory  discourses  have  multiplied  of  late. 
The  shepherd  has  seen  the  wolf  coming.  The  times  are 
full  of  excitement  and  peril.  The  French  war  has  left 
the  country  demoralized.  Ominous  signs  have  appeared 
of  late  over  seas.  Faint  mutterings  of  the  gathering 
storm  of  the  Revolution  have  been  borne  fitfully  on  the 
breeze  even  to  this  out-of-the-way  hamlet.  But,  worse 
than  all,  rumors  were  abroad  the  previous  winter,  that 
certain  persons  called  "  Dippers,"  or  "  Anabaptists " 
had  come  secretly  into  town,  and  had  even  held  some 
meetings  in  a  small  house  in  the  outskirts.  It  is  true, 
these  rogues  had  been  closely  watched,  and  on  one  oc- 
casion, it  was  reported,  were  so  hotly  pursued  by  the 
constables  that  they  were  glad  to  get  out  of  the  pre- 
cinct without  being  set  in  the  pillory  and  having  their 
ears  cropped ;  ^  whereat  sundry  "  antient,  grave  and 
sober"  persons  were  greatly  aggrieved.  All  these 
things  had  of  late  kept  the  usually  sedate  community 
in  an  uncommon  state  of  perturbation. 

But  at  last  the  service  ends,  as  services  do,  and  the 
congregation  take  their  homeward  way,  circumspect 
and  serious,  with  matter  enough  to  think  about  and 
talk  about  till  the  next  Sabbath.  The  supper  of 
baked  beans,  brown  bread  and  Indian  pudding,  drawn 
from  the  brick  oven,  with  the  unusual  luxury  of  a  cup 

1  As  late  as  1752,  the  motlier  of  Dr.  Isaac  Backus,  the  historian  of  New 
England  Baptists,  was  thrown  into  jail,  when  sick  of  a  fever,  because  for 
conscience'  sake  she  refused  to  pay  the  State-Church  tax. 

"  It  is  a  sad  story.  Most  puro  and  excellent  and  otherwise  inoffensive 
persons  were  the  sufferers,  and  generally  patient  ones.  But  the  struggle 
was  a  brief  one.  The  Baptists  conquered  in  it,  and  came  to  equal  esteem 
and  love  with  their  brethren."  (Winsor,  Meraorial  History  of  Boston, 
vol.  1, 179.) 


APPENDIX   A.  263 

of  tea,  is  eaten  with  honest  appetites  and  thankful 
hearts.  The  catechism  is  recited  by  the  youngei*  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  the  "heads"  of  the  sermons  are 
given,  the  cows  are  brought  to  the  barnyard,  the  milk- 
ing is  done,  and  sunset  melting  down  the  amber  sky 
ends  the  sweet,  peaceful,  healthful,  uplifting  Puritan 
Sabbath. 

No  song  of  the  drunkard  has  polluted  the  sweet  air, 
no  "  meets  "  have  flaunted  along  the  highways,  no  rail- 
way trains  have  disturbed  the  quiet,  no  Sunday  papers 
have  flapped  their  huge  wings  like  birds  of  evil  omen 
athwart  the  sky.  All  day  long  the  earth  has  been  at 
peace,  and  has  reflected  back  the  smile  of  heaven. 

As  the  stars  begin  to  come  out  in  the  pure  skies,  the 
young  people  join  in  the  free-masonry  of  hearts  as  old 
as  the  race,  tales  are  told,  songs  are  sung,  or  thoughts 
are  breathed  too  deep  for  words,  until  nine  o'clock  finds 
the  last  suitor  departed,  the  last  "  good-nights  "  said, 
the  doors  closed,  but  not  barred,^  and  the  full  moon, 
which  had  risen  high  in  the  eastern  heavens,  looking 
down  on  the  sleeping  town. 

1  With  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country,  incident  to  the  Revokition, 
and  especially  the  fear  of  a  landing  from  the  enemy's  ships  upon  the  coast, 
more  precautions  began  to  be  taken.  A  stout,  wooden  bar,  bearing  evi- 
dence of  long  service,  belonging  to  this  period,  is  still  in  use  in  the  Kit- 
field  house  at  the  "  Cove,"  to  fasten  the  door  o' nights;  another  maybe 
seen  in  Mrs.  Abby  Baker's  house. 


APPENDIX  B. 

A    Typical     Oldtime     Minister  —  Rev.    BE^VAMIX 
Tappax,   1720-1790. 

As  more  is  known  of  Rev.  Benjamin  Tappan  than  of  anj'  other  of  the 
earlier  ministers  of  Manchester,  and  as  he  served  the  church  and  town  for 
so  long  a  time  and  during  so  momentous  a  period  — that  of  the  Revolution- 
ary epoch —  and  has  left  so  many  descendants;  he  was,  in  short,  so  repre- 
sentative a  man  and  minister,  that  this  biographical  sketch  is  appended, 
it  being  too  long  and  of  too  personal  a  character  for  a  place  in  the  body  of 
the  work.  The  paper  was  originally  written  by  the  author  for  the  Maga- 
zine of  American  History,  December,  1890. 

Mr.  Tappan,  whose  ministry  of  forty-five  years  was 
closed  only  by  his  death,  was  a  good  representative  of 
the  Puritan  clergy.  He  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Toppan, 
of  Xewbury,  Mass.,  and  was  born  in  1720.  He  was 
graduated  from  Harvard  College  in  1742,  settled  at 
Manchester,  as  successor  to  Rev.  Ames  Cheever,  Dec. 
11,  1745,  and  died  May  6,  1790.  As  in  all  similar  in- 
stances, at  that  time,  and  for  many  years  afterwards, 
Mr.  Tappan  was  called  and  settled  by  vote  of  the  town. 
The  time  of  the  separation  of  church  and  state  in  Mass- 
achusetts was  yet  far  in  the  future.  The  town  called 
the  minister,  voted  his  salary,  built  the  meeting-house, 
set  apart  ministerial  lands,  made  arrangements  for  ordi- 
nations, even  to  the  supjily  of  rum  deemed  necessary  on 
such  occasions  —  in  short,  transacted  all  the  business 
involved  in  ecclesiastical  relations  that  was  afterwards 
transferred  to  the  parish.  The  town  was  the  j^arish. 
The  ministerial  tax  was  levied  on  the  taxable  property, 
irrespective  of  creed  or  religious  preference, 

Mr.  Tappan's  relations  to  the  church  and  town 
appear  to  have  been  cordial  throughout  his  ministry. 
As  a  mark  of  confidence  and  esteem  he  was  voted  for 
three  successive  years  a  gift,  in   addition  to  his  salary, 

265 


266  •  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

amounting,  in  1769,  to  £4G.  The  records  show  a 
mingled  dignity  and  consideration  on  the  part  of  both 
pastor  and  people. 

As  Mr.  Tappan's  ministry  covered  the  troublous 
period  of  the  Revolution,  with  many  years  before  and 
after,  when  the  country  was  in  an  extremely  depressed 
financial  condition,  it  is  not  surprising  to  learn  that  at 
one  time  the  impoverished  people  were  unable  to  pay 
the  stipulated  salary.  To  the  credit  of  the  minister,  we 
are  told  that  he  "  maintained  uninterruptedly  and  with 
faithfulness  the  ministrations  of  his  pastoral  duties." 
Such  a  course  must  have  strengthened  the  ties  that 
united  jjastor  and  people  in  those  "  times  that  tried 
men's  souls."  ^ 

Mr.  Tapi>an's  theology  was  of  the  type  generally 
prevalent  in  the  "  standing  order  "in  New  England,  in 
tlie  latter  half  of  the  eighteentli  century.  He  appears 
to  have  belonged  to  the  more  conservative  school.  As 
none  of  his  sermons  are  extant,  all  that  is  known  must 
be  matter  of  inference.  About  1760,  a  controversy 
arose  between  Mr.  Tappan  and  Rev.  John  Cleaveland 
of  Chebacco,  which  has  left  its  record  in  some  corres- 
pondence, preserved  in  a  rare  tract  written  by  Mr. 
Cleaveland,  and  entitled  after  the  manner  of  the  time, 
"A  Plain  Narrative,"  etc.,  Boston,  1767.  The  case  in 
brief  was  this  :  Some  persons  in  Manchester,  among 
them  the  celebrated  Edward  Lee,  "  The  Apostolic  Fish- 
erman," had  for  come  time  been  attending  Mr.  Cleave- 
land's  ministry,  alleging  that  Mr.  Tappan's  preaching 
was  Arminian.     Some  had  even  gone  so  far  as  to  join 

1  To  show  the  difficulties  to  which  ministers  were  often  subjected,  one 
of  them  writes,  "  In  1777  your  Pastor  gave  tlie  whole  of  his  year's  Salary 
for  one  sucking  Calf,  the  next  year  he  gave  the  whole  for  a  small  store 
pig."  The  spirit  of  this  poor  parson  is  seen  in  what  follows ;  "  your  pastor 
has  not  asked  any  consideration  being  willing  to  Scrabble  along  with  the 
people  while  they  are  in  low  circumstances."  One  minister  in  Maine  was 
paid  £5,400  in  paper  money  to  make  good  his  salary  of  £60  in  gold. 


APPENDIX    B.  207 

the  church  in  Chebacco,  a  grave  offence  in  the  eyes  of 
our  fathers,  who  considered  the  parish  a  kind  of  eccle- 
siastical preserve  to  be  jealously  guarded  against  minis- 
terial and  other  poachers.  It  does  not  appear  that  Mr. 
Cleaveland  was  guilty  of  any  breach  of  ministerial 
courtesy  in  the  matter  ;  but  Mr.  Tappan  was  one  of  the 
New  England  ministers  who  were  not  in  sympathy  with 
"Whitefield  and  what  were  known  as  the  "  new  measures," 
while  Mr.  Cleaveland  was  an  ardent  supporter  of  the 
revival  movement.  Mr.  Tappan  complained  of  the  in- 
terference, as  he  considered  it,  with  his  rights  as  minis- 
ter of  Manchester,  and  it  seemed  likely  for  a  time  that 
a  serious  and  lasting  strife  between  the  neighboring 
parishes  would  be  the  result.  The  language  of  Parson 
Tappan,  in  some  of  his  letters,  bears  a  tinge  of  acerbity, 
that,  considering  all  the  circumstances,  is  perhaps  no 
occasion  for  wonder.  Mr.  Cleaveland  was  a  man  who 
had  "the  courage  of  his  convictions,"  was  skilled  in 
debate,  and  a  firm  and  decided  but  courteous  contro- 
versialist. The  case  was  a  typical  one.  It  was  a  skir- 
mish of  outposts,  but  the  conflict  which  half  a  century 
later  convulsed  the  churches  of  New  England  was  already 
impending. 

In  common  with  most  of  the  ministers  of  the  period, 
Mr.  Tappan  was  an  ardent  patriot.  He  not  only  coun- 
selled resistance  to  the  oppressive  measures  of  the  king 
in  council,  and  gave  two  of  his  sons  to  the  Continental 
Army,  but  when  British  cruisers  were  menacing  the 
shores,  he  carried  his  musket  with  him  to  meeting, 
leaving  it  at  the  foot  of  the  pulpit  stairs,  ready  for  an 
emergency. 

Of  Mr.  Tappan's  manner  and  style  of  preaching,  not 
even  an  anecdote  remains.  We  can  imagine  him  in 
knee-buckles,  small-clothes  and  broad-bi'immed  cocked- 
hat,  in  bands  and  wig  ;  he  is  said  to  have  been  stout  and 


268  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

well-built,  and  fancy  pictures  him  as  somewhat  grave 
and  sedate.  No  portrait  or  even  silhouette  is  known  to 
exist.  Nor  have  Ave  any  means  of  rehabilitating  the  old 
parsonage  with  its  active,  intelligent,  busy  life.i 

Dr.  Leach  says  of  Mr.  Tappan,  "  His  character  as  a 
scholar  was  very  respectable,  as  appears  from  the  testi- 
mony of  his  professional  brethren,  among  whom,  as 
among  the  people  of  his  charge,  he  was  highly  esteemed, 
and  his  death  deeply  lamented.^  And  Dr.  Leach,  who 
was  born  in  1809,  must  in  his  youth  and  early  manhood 
have  known  many  who  were  the  parishioners  and  ac- 
quaintances of  Mr.  Tappan.  That  he  was  a  man  of 
strong  character  is  shown  not  only  by  his  hold  for  so 
many  years  upon  the  town,  but  by  the  character  of  his 
descendants.  Mr.  Tappan  had  eleven  children,  among 
whom  was  Benjamin,^  an  eminent  citizen  of  Northamp- 
ton ;  David,  who  Avas  made  Hollis  professor  of  Divinity 
at  Harvard  College,  1792,  and  who  died  in  1803,  of 
whom  Dr.  Holmes  remarks,  "  His  death  threw  a  gloom 
over  his  bereaved  family,  over  the  university,  the 
church,  the  commonwealth,  and  the  country  "  ;  Samuel 
and  Amos,  who  became  successful  educators,  and 
Ebenezer,  who  was  in  the  army  of  177G.*  The  family 
has  always  been  distinguished  for  intelligence  and 
public  spirit.  It  is  represented  in  Manchester  in  the 
third  and  fourth  generations. 

^  Since  the  first  publication  of  this  article  the  writer's  attention  has 
been  directed  to  the  Memoir  of  Mrs.  Sarah  Tax>pan,  wife  of  Benjamin 
Tappan,  of  Northampton,  by  their  son,  Lewis  Tappan  (N.  Y.)-  On  page 
126,  referring  to  Parson  Tappan,  the  author  says  :  "  He  had  young  men 
studying  with  him  from  time  to  time.  .  .  .  His  eyes  were  small  and 
deep  in  his  head ;  he  had  a  dent  in  his  chin,  dimples  in  his  cheeks,  and 
was  inclined  to  corpulency." 

-  Rev.  Eli  Forbes  of  Gloucester,  in  his  funeral  sermon,  preached  at 
Manchester,  May  10,  1790,  says  of  Mr.  Tappan,  "  He  was  a  man  of  fixed 
probity  —  great  candor  —  very  cautious  — of  a  most  tender  conscience,  and 
extensive  benevolence." 

3  Father  of  Arthur  and  Lewis  Tappan  of  New  York. 

*  Grandfather  of  Lewis  N.  and  Wm.  H.  Tappan. 


APPENDIX    B.  269 

The  house  in  which  Mr.  Tappan  lived,  long  known  as 
"  the  old  red  house,"  and  said  by  tradition  never  to  have 
been  painted  any  other  color,  stood  on  the  east  side  of 
School  street,  opposite  Friend  coui't.  It  has  been  de- 
scribed as  "  a  fine  old  house  in  early  times,  the  walls 
being  plastered  with  mortar  made  of  burnt  clam-shells 
and  sand."  It  was  of  "  the  long  sloping-roof  style, 
probably  built  about  the  time  of  the  first  parsonage- 
house,"  in  1685.  It  was  purchased  by  the  town  in  1745, 
for  Mr.  Tappan  ;  connected  with  it  were  about  five 
acres  of  land  on  the  northerly  side  of  Saw  Mill  brook. 
The  demolition  of  this  house  a  few  years  ago  was 
greatly  regretted  by  those  who  have  a  regard  for  "  the 
ancient  landmarks  which  the  fathers  have  set.''  But 
much  as  the  removal  of  such  a  house  is  to  be  deplored 
on  sentimental  grounds,  it  is  better  that  it  should  not 
longer  have  survived,  to  be  occupied  by  alien  and  un- 
sympathetic tenants. 

Mr.  Tappan  was  buried  in  the  old  burial-ground  on 
Summer  street.  The  slate  stone  above  his  grave  is  in 
good  preservation,  and  the  lettering  quite  legible.  It 
bears  the  inscription,  supposed  to  have  been  written  by 

his  son  David  :  — 

In  Memory  of 

BEISTJAMI^ST  TAPPA?^,  A.  M., 

late  pastor  of  the  churcli  in  Manchester, 

who  exi)ired  May  6,  1790, 

in  the  70th  year  of  his  age, 

and  45th  of  his  ministry. 

He  was  a  sincere  and  exemplary  Christian, 

a  tender  Husband  &  Parent, 

a  judiciovis  &  sound  Divine, 

a   prudent   &   faithful   Minister. 

O  ever  honored,  ever  dear,  adieu; 
How  many  tender  names  are  lost  in  you; 
Keep  safe,  O  Tomb,  thy  precious,  sacred  trust. 
Till  life  divine  awake  his  sleeping  dust. 


270  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

The  generations  overlap  each  other  in  their  influence, 
as  well  as  in  their  physical  life.  Few  and  fragmentary 
as  are  the  facts  which  have  been  preserved  respecting 
the  life  of  the  Minister  of  Manchester  during  the  last 
half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  shadowv  as  his  fig- 
ure may  be  to  us,  his  character  is  still  moulding  the  life 
of  the  community  after  the  lapse  of  more  than  a  hun- 
dred years. 


APPENDIX     C. 

CEMETEPaES. 

One  of  the  first  cares  of  the  early  settlers,  after  put- 
ting up  some  rude  shelter  for  the  living,  was  to  provide 
a  resting-place  for  the  dead.  Even  before  the  meeting- 
house rose  on  the  Common,  the  Silent  House  was  made 
ready  for  its  tenant. 

It  is  possible  that  the  first  graveyard,  which  tradition 
locates  near  the  present  Library  building,^  may  have  been 
a  private  burial-jalace.  Nothing  certainly  is  now  known 
of  it.  The  very  names  of  those  who  were  buried  in  it 
have  long  since  been  forgotten.  The  earliest  burying- 
ground  of  which  any  trace  now  remains  is  that  on  the 
road  from  the  "  Cove  "  to  the  Magnolia  R.  R.  Station. 
No  mention  of  this  is  found  in  the  records.  Within 
the  memory  of  persons  now  living,  several  stones  re- 
mained, among  them  one  of  white  marble  bearing  the 
name  of  Abigail  Gilbert.  But  these  have  been  broken 
down  and  have  disappeared  many  j-ears  ago.  There 
are  a  few  small  rough  stones,  without  name  or  date, 
rising  a  few  inches  above  the  turf,  the  only  memorials 
that  mark  the  resting-places  of  the  unknown  dead. 
Nothing  could  be  more  simple,  rude,  primitive.  But  it 
is  «  God's  Acre."  Within  this  little  plot,  far  away  from 
the  turmoil  of  life,  were  laid  the  mortal  remains  of  some 
of  the  founders  and  first  inhabitants  of  the  town.  Prob- 
ably John   Kettle   was   buried   here,  and  the  Hoopers, 

1  Memorial  Library  Volume,  p.  59. 
271 


272  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Aliens,  Kitfields,  Stones,  and  others,  whose  descendants 
are  now  scattered  from  Maine  to  Montana.  The  town 
has  within  a  few  years  taken  measures  to  protect  the 
spot  from  further  desecration,  but  nothing  can  repair 
the  ravages  of  the  past. 

The  earliest  record  that  exists  of  a  piece  of  land 
being  set  apart  by  the  town  for  burial  purposes,  is  in 
1668.1 

Att  atowne  meeting  the  16""  of  march  1668  it  was  confirmed 
by  most  of  j'  inhabitants  y'  wear  tbeir  mett  y'  iu  considera- 
tion of  sum  Ground  y'  tliey  make  use  of  for  a  bureall  place 
which  was  Samuell  friend  owne  land  possessed  &  planted  by 
liim  in  Lieu  therof  lie  lias  to  have  a  neck  of  Land  y'  Lyes 
betwen  the  Saw  mill  and  his  Island  upon  which  now  bis  bouse 
doth  stand  which  was  granted  formerly  but  being  confirmed  & 
now  recorded. 

Reference  seems  here  made  to  former  action  on  the 
part  of  the  town. 

ye  I'-th  qI  June  1661  Att  a  town  meeting  at  Mancbester  it 
was  ordered  &  aGread  ui^on  by  y°  inliabitents  of  y°  plantation 
y'  Samuell  friend  is  to  bave  y=  Little  Island  y'  is  joyning  to 
his  marsh  at  y"  great  neck  of  Land  where  they  now  jilant  this 
was  granted  to  him  with  the  Generell  consent  of  y^  planta- 
tion.- 

The  meaning  is  not  altogether  cleai*,  but  it  would 
seem  that  in  1661,  the  exchange  of  land  was  agreed 
upon,  by  which  the  town  obtained  possession  of  the 
present  burial  ground  on  the  corner  of  Washington  and 
Summer  streets.  It  was  in  use  "for  a  bureall  place  " 
in  1668,  when,  on  account  probably  of  some  informality, 
the  grant  of  "Little  Island,"  was  "  confirmed,"  and  with 
an  additional  grant  of  land  "  joyning,"  was  "  recorded." 
The  location  of  the  land  thus  granted  to  Samuell  Friend 

1  Dr.  Leach  gives  the  date,  on  what  authority  is  not  now  known,  as 
1653.    This  history  simply  follows  the  record. 
-  Town  Records,  vol.  I,  p.  9. 


APPENDIX    C.  273 

in  exchange  for  the  land  which  the  town  took  for  a 
burial  ground  "by  right  of  eminent  domain,"  cannot 
now  be  ascertained.  Dr.  Leach  assumes  that  it  is  what 
was  later  called  the  "  Island  wharf  property,"  on  the 
Smith  farm  ;  but  this  is  doubtful. 

This  burial  ground  extended  across  the  present  high- 
way, the  road  to  Gloucester  running  at  that  time  along 
the  line  of  what  is  now  Sea  street,  through  the  Towne 
and  Dana  estates.^  In  1701,  the  town  ordered  the  bury- 
ing-ground  to  be  fenced  in,  and  "  whoever  neglect  to 
work  on  the  same  shall  be  fined  3  shillings,"  showing 
the  scarcity  of  money  and  the  low  price  of  labor.  In 
1716,  the  burying-ground  wall  was  built,  and  "  six  feet 
in  its  whole  length  given  in  by  John  Lee  Jun."  At  a 
Town  Meeting  called  on  the  10th  Day  of  March,  Anno 
Domini  1760,  it  was  "  Voted  that  there  be  a  new  and 
Lawfull  wall  Erected  and  new  set  against  y®  Burying 
yard  and  a  handsome  Gate  Erected  and  Compleated  at 
y**  Entrance  of  said  Burying  yard  in  y*'  Room  &  Stead 
of  Barrs."  2 

The  article  in  the  Warrant  included  also,  "  to  see  if 
the  Town  will  take  some  method  to  accomplish  the 
Destruction  of  Briers  :  which  seem  to  have  almost  uni- 
versally Overspread  the  Congregation  of  the  Dead  :  By 
which  means  following  our  Decs'*  Relatives  to  their  long 
homes  is  attended  with  no  small  degree  of  Inconven- 
iency."  ^  This  part  of  the  article  seems  to  have  failed  of 
being  acted  upon ;  while  the  briers,  however  they  were 
fought  shy  of,  showed  their  usual  persistency,  and  con- 
tinued to  thrust  themselves  into  notice.  In  the  AVar- 
rant  for  the   March  meeting,  1772,  occurs  this  article: 

1  Traces  of  this  old  road  may  still  be  seen.  The  more  direct  road  was 
laid  out  in  1684. 

2  Town  Records,  vol.  II,  85. 

3  Tovm  Records,  vol.  II,  84. 


274  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

"  To  see  if  the  Town  will  determine  upon  something 
respecting  the  Burying  Yard :  on  consideration  that 
Those :  who  are  Called  to  follow  their  Deceased  Friends 
to  the  Grave  may  be  delivered  from  those  Briers  which 
have :  and  yet  do  Encumber  such  Followers."  ^  This 
time  something  was  done :  "  341y  voted  that  M""  Jacob 
Tewxbury  have  the  use  and  Improvement  of  the  Bury- 
ing-Yard  free  and  Clear  of  Rent  untill  he  shall  accom- 
plish the  Destruction  of  Briars  growing  in  said  Yard  : 
l^rovided  from  this  Time  he  makes  use  of  his  best  En- 
deavours for  so  doing."  As  no  further  record  appears, 
it  may  be  supposed  that  Mr.  Jacob  Tewxbury's  "  best 
Endeavours"  were  successful,  and  that  the  thorny  sub- 
ject ceased  to  perplex  the  ways  of  the  fathers. 

The  oldest  stones  in  this  Cemetery  on  which  the  in- 
scriptions are  still  legible  are  those  of  Joseph  Woodbury 
and  Wife,  1714;  George  Norton,  1717  ;  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  Thomas  Lee,  gent.,  1720  ;  Lieut.  William  Hilton, 
1723 ;  and  on  a  plain  piece  of  granite  are  the  initials, 
E.  H.,  supposed  to  be  those  of  Edward  Hooi^er.  There 
are  many  stones  which  are  evidently  older,  on  which 
the  time-worn  lines  can  no  longer  be  deciphered.  Many 
of  these,  hewn  and  dressed  by  unskillful  hands  from  the 
common  pasture  stones,  are  pathetic  memorials  of  the 
simple  and  humble  lives  of  the  forefathers.^ 

The  only  inscription  showing  literary  taste  is  that  on 
the  gravestone  of  Rev.  Benjamin  Tappan,  minister  of 
the  town  from  1745  to  1790.  It  was  no  doubt  furnished 
by  his  son,  Prof.  David  Tappan,  of  Harvard  College. 
Two  inscriptions  are  worth  preserving  for  their  quaint- 
ness.     One  is  on  the  stone   of  Capt.  John   Marston,  an 

1  Town  Records,  vol.  II,  122. 

2  Toini  Records,  vol.  II,  134. 

3  The  hard,  dark,  flinty  slatestones,  ornamented  (?)  by  a  death's  head, 
or  a  cheruli,  or  a  willow-tree,  so  common  in  our  older  grave-yards,  were 
imported  from  Wales,  ready  carved. 


APPENDIX    C.  275 

eccentric  man  who  is   said  to  have  lived  on  "  Smith's 
farm."  ' 


Capt.  Jolin  Marston  lies  liere 

who  died  May  22,  1754,  being 

57  years  and  3  mo.  old. 

Art  thou,  curious,  reader,  to  know 

what  sort  of  a  man  he  was  ?    Wait  till 

the  final  day  of  Retribution,  and 

then  thou  mayest  be  satisfied. 


An  epitaph  non-committal  enough  to  suit  the  average 
politician.  It  is  said  to  have  been  placed  upon  the 
stone  by  his  own  direction. 


Sacred  to  the  memory  of 

Captain  John  Allen 

who  died 

August  27,  1834,  aged  59  years. 

Tho'  Boreas'  blasts  and  Xeptune's  waves 
Have  tossed  me  to  and  fro, 

In  spite  of  both,  by  God's  decree, 
I  harbour  here  below. 

Kow  here  at  anchor  I  do  lie. 

With  many  of  our  fleet, 
I  hope  again  for  to  set  sail. 

My  Savior  Christ  to  meet. 


The  grave  of  Rev.  Ames  Cheever,  who  Avas  buried  in 
this  cemetery  in    1756,  remained   unmarked  until  the 

1  Mr.  Tappan  preserves  an  anecdote  of  his  courtship,  which  confirms  the 
tradition  of  his  ecceniricicy. 


276  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

present  year,  and  its  site  was  long  supposed  to  be  un- 
known. It  has  recently  been  identitied  beyond  a  rea- 
sonable doubt,  and  a  neat  tablet  has  been  placed  upon 
it  by  his  descendants,  bearing  the  inscription  : 

Reverend 

Ames  Cheever 

B.  Oct.  24,  1686.     D.  Jan.  15,  1756 

Minister  of  Manchester 

1716-1744 

Erected  by  his 

Descendants 

1895. 


Hoc  decus  exiguum  sacrum  memoriae  reverendi  Amesii 
Cheever,  qui  cursu  peracto  setatis  suae  69,  15  Januarii,  anno 
Domini  1756,  terrena  pro  coelestibus  reliquit. 

The  epitaph  is  from  Alden's  "  Collection  of  Epi- 
taphs," and  may  be  translated, 

"  This  brief  honor  is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  Reverend 
Ames  Cheever,  who  his  course  being  finished  in  his  age  69,  on 
January  15,  1756,  left  the  earthly  for  the  heavenly." 


UNION    CEMETERY. 

This  is  a  small  burial-ground  on  the  east  side  of 
School  street,  formerly  owned  by  a  stock  association, 
which  was  formed  July  24,  1845.  It  was  transferred  to 
the  town,  Apr.  9,  1888,  by  vote  of  the  Proprietors,  and 
accepted  by  the  town,  Apr.  23,  1888.     A  monument  to 


APPENDIX    C.  277 

the  Rev.  Oliver  A.  Taylor  stands  near  the  centre  of  the 
ground.     It  bears  on  two  of  its  sides  these  inscriptions  : 

The  Reverend 

Oliver  Alden  Taylor, 

Born  at  Yarmouth,  Mass. 

Aug.  18,  1801: 

Installed  here  as  Pastor, 

Sept.  18,  1839: 

Died  Dec.  18,  1851. 

Resurgemus. 


He  was  a  man 

of  clear  intellect, 

of  deep  and  various  learning, 

of  rare  humility, 

candor  and  kindness. 

A  laborious  student, 

an  able  preacher,  a  devoted  pastor, 

he  was  in  every  relation  faithful 

and  lived  as  one 

"Who  must  give  account." 

Torn,  while  yet  in  his  full  strength, 

from  the  warm  affection 

of  wife,  kindred  and  flock, 

he  calmly  resigned  them  all, 

and  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 

EOSEDALE    CEMETERY. 

This  is  the  prettiest  and  most  romantic  cemetery  in 
town.  It  is  entered  from  School  street,  opposite  Pleas- 
ant street.  This  cemetery  also  belonged  at  first  to  a 
private  corporation,  dating  from  Sept.  14,  1854,  and 
was  transferred  to  the  town,  and  accepted  as  a  public 
trust,  with  Union  Cemetery,  April  23,  1888.     "With  the 


278  HISTOEY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

enlargement  subsequently  made,  it  constitutes  a  burial- 
ground  creditable  to  the  community,  and  of  sufficient 
size  for  the  wants  of  a  considerable  time  to  come.  Since 
the  town  has  assumed  the  care  of  the  different  burial- 
places,  they  have  been  well  managed  and  neatly  kept 
under  the  efficient  charge  of  Mr.  Alhanan  H.  Babcock. 

During  the  last  decade  it  became  evident  that  before 
the  close  of  the  century,  more  room  would  be  demanded 
for  death's  ever-increasing  harvest.  After  much  delib- 
eration and  discussion,  the  town  purchased  a  very  elig- 
ible lot  of  land  and  one  admirably  adapted  to  the  purpose 
adjoining  Rosedale  Cemetery  on  the  south.  This  was 
laid  out,  neatly  fenced,  and  a  wide  avenue  opened  from 
School  street;  and  on  Memorial  Day,  May  30,  1888, 
aj^propriate  dedicatory  exercises  were  held  under  the 
direction  of  the  Selectmen,  including  singing,  prayer, 
and  addresses  by  Rev.  D.  F.  Lamson  and  Rev.  D. 
Marvin. 

Two  years  later.  May  30,  1890,  a  lot,  set  apart  by  the 
town  for  the  purpose,  was  dedicated  to  the  use  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  Post.  Rev.  Mr.  Lamson  gave  the  address,  as 
follows  : 

It  seems  to  be  an  instinct  of  our  nature  to  provide  some 
decent  sepulture  for  the  dead.  All  civilized  races,  and  some 
that  are  not  civilized,  have  their  burying  places,  vs^here  stately 
shaft,  or  lowly  tablet,  or  raised  mound  marks  the  final  resting 
spot.  In  accordance  with  this  instinct,  the  fathers  of  the  town 
in  its  earlier  history  set  apart  three  different  enclosures  for 
burial  purposes  —  one  at  Kettle  Cove,  one  near  the  site  of  the 
present  Library  Building,  and  the  Old  Burying  Ground  on 
Summer  street.  To  these  have  been  added  later  Union  and 
Rosedale.  And  this  latest  extension,  opened  two  years  ago, 
and  dedicated  on  Memorial  Day  with  apisropriate  ceremonies, 
it.  may  be  supposed,  will  afford  all  needed  room  for  the  ever- 
enlarging  domain  of  death  for  years  to  come.  In  this  quiet 
and  beautiful  retreat,  the  town,  acting  under  a  recent  act  of 
the  Legislature,  has  wisely  and  patriotically  appropriated  this 


APPENDIX    C.  279 

lot  for  the  uses  of  the  Grand  Army  Post,  and  specially  for  the 
use  of  the  worn-out  veterans  whose  burial  may  not  otherwise 
be  provided  for. 

After  the  already  protracted  services  of  the  day,  the  fewest 
words  will  be  deemed  the  fittest.  Let  us  then  solemnly  dedi- 
cate this  spot  to  its  sacred  purposes,  as  a  resting-jjlace  of  the 
patriot  dead  who  gave  all  they  had  to  give  for  their  country's 
service  ;  whose  bodies  will  here  have  honorable  burial  at  the 
hands  of  their  comrades  and  fellow-citizens.  Let  it  be  told 
here  who  those  patriots  were  ;  what  sufferings  they  underwent 
in  their  day  and  generation  to  make  this  land  an  abode  of 
peace,  happiness  and  liberty  to  those  who  should  live  after 
them  ;  what  principles  they  upheld  in  life  and  in  death  ;  and 
what  lessons  should  be  drawn  from  their  example  by  those  who 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  their  patriotism  and  self-denial. 

Around  this  spot,  from  year  to  year,  let  the  voice  of  prayer 
and  the  solemn  dirge  be  heard  ;  upon  it  let  the  dews  of  tender 
and  grateful  recollection  fall  ;  over  it  let  the  gracious  heavens 
beam  in  kindly  watch  and  wai-d. 

And  thus,  with  this  simple  but  heartfelt  service,  we  commit 
this  hallowed  spot,  with  all  the  precious  dust  it  may  hereafter 
hold,  to  the  care  and  reverence  of  coming  generations. 


APPENDIX   D. 

Early  Houses. 

[Acknowledgments  are  due  to  George  F.  Allen,  Esq.,  for 
most  valuable  infoi-mation  contained  in  this  Appendix.] 

The  houses  of  the  first  settlers  were  built  near  the 
"  Landing,"  at  the  "  Cove,"  or  at  "  North  Yarmouth." 
The  house  of  William  Allen  was  probably  near  the 
site  of  the  present  Parsonage.  John  Kettle's  house  was 
at  the  "  Cove."  Richard  Graves  had  a  farm  near  the 
present  Dana  estate.  Ambrose  Gale  built  at  "  Gale's 
Point."  Several  old  apple  trees  near  "  Sandy  Hollow  " 
probably  mark  the  site  of  John  Codner's  house. 
George  Norton  built  about  1645  at  "  Norton's  Point." 
Richard  Glass  came  in  1660,  and  built  at  "Glass  Head." 
John  Black  probably  gave  his  name  to  "  Black  Cove 
Beach."  Thomas  Chubbs  was  here  as  early  as  1636, 
and  lived  at  the  western  part  of  the  town.  William 
Bennett  came  in  1637,  and  owned  a  house  near  the  foot 
of  "  Bennett's  Hill,"  and  also  a  grist-mill  on  the  site  of 
the  old  Forster  Mill. 

"  North  Yarmouth  "  was  first  settled,  it  is  supposed, 
by  the  grandsons  of  William  Allen — ^Azariah,  Jacob, 
Isaac,  Malachi,  and  "  Governor  "  Allen,  so-called.  This 
was  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  Azariah 
lived  in  a  house  near  Cat  Brook;  only  the  cellar,  cov- 
ered by  a  growth  of  trees  and  bushes,  now  remains. 
One  of  his  children,  familiarly  called  "  Bos'n  John,"  a 
bluff  old  sea-king,  built  the  house  on  W^ashington  street 
now  occupied  by  his  grandson,  Capt.  John  Allen. 
Jacob  lived  in  the  house  nearest  the  woods  still  stand- 


282  HTSTOTiY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

ing.  He  was  a  sergeant  in  the  French  war,  and  a  man 
of  standing  in  the  community.  One  of  his  sons,  Nathan 
Allen,  also  lived  in  this  house ;  he  was  the  father  of  ten 
children,  one  of  whom  was  John  Perry  Allen.  Isaac, 
an  older  son  of  Jacob,  lived  in  the  house  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Herbert  Stanley.  He  was  a  man  of  great  phj^sical 
strength  and  prowess ;  it  is  said  that  he  could  catch  a 
horse  by  the  mane  while  running,  and  throw  himself 
upon  his  back.  "  Governor  "  Allen  owned  and  occu- 
pied the  house  with  a  sloping  roof,  now  owned  by 
Manuel  Silva.  He  was  a  man  of  property  and  of  some- 
what masterful  disposition.  His  premises  had  "  a  pon- 
derous and  ornamental  gate  "  at  the  entrance.  None 
of  his  descendants  remained  in  town.  This  house  was 
at  one  time  owned  by  the  Lee  family,  and  was  later 
known  as  the  Prescott  place.  Mr.  William  Harvey 
Allen's  house  stands  where  one  built  by  Malachi 
Allen,  2d,  stood.  This  house  was  a  large  one  with 
gable  roof.  Its  white,  sanded  floors,  huge  chimney- 
place  with  crane  and  hooks,  and  mammoth  oven  are 
still  remembered.  It  is  supposed  that  all  these  houses 
were  built  by  Jonathan  Allen  or  his  sons.  Most  of 
them  had  large  families,  and  they  were  persons  of  mark 
and  influence  in  town.  The  region  was  one  attractive 
in  its  location  and  for  the  purposes  of  farming  ;  but  the 
sea  and  business  pursuits  proved  too  strong  a  counter- 
attraction,  and  their  descendants  have  all  left  the  neigh- 
borhood. 

Near  Cat  Brook  are  several  acres  of  cleared  land 
where  a  house  known  as  the  "  Molly  Lendall  house " 
once  stood.  Opposite  the  house  of  Jacob  Allen  was  a 
house  occupied  by  Hoopers,  and  afterwards  by  William 
Russell.  This  house  was  torn  down  some  years  ago, 
and  a  new  one  built  upon  the  same  site  by  B.  W. 
Hildreth.     This  house  was  one  of  the   oldest  in  town. 


APPENDIX   D.  283 

Here  Master  Moore  taught  "  the  rule  of  three  "  and  nav- 
igation. The  scholars  were  from  the  "  Cove  "  and  the 
"Row."  The  house  standing  near  the  old  road  to 
Gloucester  is  also  a  very  old  one.  Isaac  Lee,  whose 
wife  was  an  Allen,  lived  here.  A  "  dame's  school "  was 
kept  in  this  house  in  the  early  part  of  this  century. 
Mrs.  Rachel  Lee,  who  lived  to  be  99  years  and  8  months 
old,  lived  in  this  neighborhood.  Her  maiden  name  was 
Allen.  She  was  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Mary  Baker,  now 
living  at  the  age  of  92. 


APPENDIX   E. 

The  Stores. 

The  first  Store  kept  in  town,  of  which  any  knowledge 
exists,  was  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Joseph  Proctor  on  Sea 
street.  The  storekeeper  was  Mrs.  Samples,  a  woman 
of  great  energy  and  character.  She  afterwards  married 
Col.  Eleazar  Crafts.^  The  "Franklin  Building"  has 
had  a  chequered  history.  First  occupied  by  Colonel 
Crafts  as  a  dwelling-house  and  store,  it  was  afterwards 
occupied  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Lee,  who  here  taught  tailor- 
ing to  many  young  women  of  Manchester ;  as  a  shoe- 
shop  by  John  W.  Mann  ;  from  1835  to  1848  it  was  used 
by  John  Perry  Allen  as  a  cabinet  factor3\  In  1848  it 
was  purchased  by  Capt.  B.  L.  Allen.  In  1849,  Burn- 
ham  and  Gentlee  leased  it  for  ten  years,  raised  it  and 
fitted  it  up  as  a  large  and  convenient  store,  regarded 
at  the  time  as  the  best  appointed  country  store  in  the 
county.  The  shelves,  drawers  and  one  counter  in  the 
northerly  part  of  the  store  still  remain  as  placed  at  that 
time.  From  1859  to  1869  the  store  passed  through 
various  changes  ;  at  the  latter  date  Mr.  George  F.  Allen 
became  the  occupant,  and  remains  to  this  day. 

Ebenezer  Tappan,  son  of  Rev.  Benjamin  Tappan, 
began  keeping  store  soon  after  the  Revolution,  in  the 
building  now  owned  by  the  Andrew  Brown  heirs,  on 
Central  street.  Mr.  Tappan  continued  in  business  here 
about  forty  years.     He  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  store- 

1  See  Appendix  K. 


286  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

keeper  of  his  day  who  discontinued  the  sale  of  ardent 
spirits  as  a  beverage/ 

Capt.  John  Knight  kept  store  in  the  northeasterly 
end  of  his  dwelling-house,  standing  on  the  north  of 
Saw  Mill  brook.  An  anecdote  is  related  of  a  customer 
who  came  to  Captain  Knight's  store  one  Saturday  night 
to  get  his  usual  double  supply  of  New  England  rum  to 
last  him  over  the  Sabbath,  as  was  the  almost  universal 
custom  in  those  days.  Captain  Knight,  not  having  a 
large  stock  on  hand,  asked  the  customer  if  he  could  not 
get  along  with  one  quart  and  keep  the  Sabbath.  The 
reply  was,  "  Well,  I  suppose  I  could ;  but.  Captain 
Knight,  ho^o  will  it  be  kept?" 

Mrs.  Abby  H.  Trask  began  storekeeping  in  Glouces- 
ter, but  soon  returned  to  Manchester,  and  opened  a 
store  in  her  house  in  which  she  lived  and  died.  Her 
business  was  largely  in  dry  goods.  She  kept  store  for 
over  forty  years,  and  a  large  number  of  young  women 
were  employed  by  her  from  time  to  time. 

About  sixty  years  ago,  Capt.  John  Hooper  kept  a 
"  neighborhood "  store  at  the  "  Cove."  It  was  the 
resort  of  the  Militia  on  training  days. 

Mrs.  Hooper  Allen  was  another  of  the  old-time  store- 
keepers, first  in  her  house  on  Sum^mer  street,  and  later 
in  the  present  Manchester  House  Annex  on  Union 
street.  She  put  out  a  great  deal  of  work  which  she 
paid  for  out  of  lier  store.  She  was  a  person  of  great 
business  capacity. 

Several  stores  were  kept  in  early  times  on  Washington 
street.  A  store  was  kept  by  Dea.  D.  L.  Bingham  in  his 
house,  and  one  by  Israel  F.  Tappan  on  Bridge  street. 
Mr.  Tappan  also  made  clocks  and  repaired  watches  and 
jewelry.  Capt.  Tyler  Parsons  had  a  store  for  a  time  in 
his   dwelling-house.      Mr.   Isaac    S.   West  commenced 

1  See  Appendix  K. 


APPENDIX    E.  287 

"business  in  the  store  now  occupied  by  F.  B.  Rust,  and 
afterward  in  what  was  used  for  many  years  as  a  store 
by  Crafts  and  Hooper.  John  Little,  G.  W.  Marble, 
S.  S.  Colby,  Samuel  Adams,  Larkin  W.  Story,  A.  W. 
Smith,  John  Evans,  John  Prince  and  Henry  Knight  are 
the  names  of  others  who  have  been  in  business  in  town. 
Miss  Mary  A.  Baker  kept  a  fancy  goods  store  for  many 
years  in  the  building  owned  by  her,  on  the  Common, 
now  occupied  by  Mrs.  Hamilton. 

The  above  list  is  not  complete  ;  but  it  includes  all 
who  have  kept  store  in  town  for  any  length  of  time 
previous  to  1880,  with  the  exception  of  those  now  in 
business. 


APPENDIX  F. 

The  Militaky  Service. 

There  are  here  given  the  names  of  Manchester  men 
who  served  in  the  Army  and  Navy,  (1)  in  the  Indian 
Wars,  (2)  in  the  Revolution,  (3)  in  the  War  of  1812, 
(4)  in  the  War  for  the  LTnion.  That  there  were  others 
in  the  earlier  wars,  there  can  be  no  doubt;  but  no  com- 
plete record  is  in  existence.  There  were  also  many  who 
served  on  privateers,  both  in  the  Revolution  and  the 
War  of  1812,  of  whom  no  full  and  accurate  record  re- 
mains. 

I.     the    indiai^  wars. 

No  complete  list  is  extant  of  the  men  who  served  in 
the  early  Indian  and  the  French  and  Indian  Wars. 

It  is  known,  however,  that  Samuel  Pickworth,  John 
Allen,  Joshua  Carter,  and  John  Bennett  ^  were  killed 
at  Bloody  Brook  (p.  55). 

Jacob  Morgan  and  John  Plassam  were  killed  at  Louis- 
burg.  Jacob  Foster  was  at  the  siege,  and  was  not  after- 
ward heard  from.  David  Allen  was  also  among  the 
American  forces,  and  Lieut.  Samuel  May  was  in  the  en- 
gagement. Dr.  Leach  has  also  in  his  "  Collections  "  the 
names  of  Thomas  Jones  and  Samuel  Foster  as  at  Louis- 
burg.     (Pp.  62,  63.) 

II.       THE    WAR    OF    THE    REVOLUTION. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  Manchester  men  who 
served  in  the  Revolution.- 

'  The  names  of  Charles  Bennett  and  Samuel  Bennett  api>ear  in  some 
accounts. 

2  The  names  of  the  "  Lexington  Company"  are  given  on  p.  77.  This 
company  probably  served  but  a  short  time,  but  many  of  the  names  subse- 
quently appear. 

289 


290 


HISTOKY    OF    MANCHESTEE. 


John  Lend  all, . 
Josiah  Lee, 
Wm.  Kelliam, 
Henry  Fredericks, 
Jos.  Kilham, 
Eleaser  Crafts, 
Maj.  Wm.  Kitfield, 
Lieut.  Jos.  Leach, 
"      Ezekiel  Leach, 
"      Isaac  Preston, 


Amos  Jones, 
Isaac  Allen, 
John  Kimball, 
Tliomas  Whipple, 


Stilson  Hilton, 
Solomon  Lee,  Jr., 
Troy  Lee, 
John  Danforth, 
Jeremiah  Dow, 
Moses  May, 
James  Lee, 
Josej^h  Babcock, 
Asarias  Allen, 
Hooper  Allen, 
John  Dixey, 


Enlisted  in  1775. 

Samuel  Bear, 
John  Allen, 
William  Dow, 
Benj.  Kimball, 
Thomas  Hooper, 
John  Kniglit, 
Joseph  Knight, 
Dr.  Joseph  Whipple, 
Samuel  Ayres, 
Joseph  Haskell, 
Isaac  Lee. 

Unlisted  in  1776. 

John  West, 
Abiei  Burgess. 
Thomas  Gentlee, 
Solomon  Lee. 

Enlisted  in  1777. 

Benjamin  Crafts, 
John  Poland, 
Stephen  Danforth, 
Nicholas  Babcock, 
Israel  May. 
Amos  Jones, 
Ezekiel  Knowlton, 
Ebenezer  Tappan, 
John  Babcock, 
Michael  Tappan, 
John  Lendall, 

John  Lendall,  Jr. 


In  the  Return  of  Men  procured  by  Capt.  Eli  Parker, 
to  serve  in  the  Continental  Arm_y,  Amlierst,  May  13, 
1778,  are  the  names  of  Sam.  Brown  and  John  Johnson, 
belonging  to  Manchester. 

Wm.  Camp  was  in  "Billy  Porter's"  Company,  Col. 
Ebenezer  Francis'  Regt.  at  Bennington. 

Daniel  Morgan,  Ebenezer  Lee,  Wm.  Pytman,  were 
in  Col.  Jona.  Titcomb's  Reijt. 


APPENDIX    F.  291 

Josiah  Allen,  Hooper  Allen,  Caleb  Bartlett,  Stephen 
Danford,  Edward  Hooper,  Wra.  Camp,  Sara.  Ayers, 
Israel  May,  David  Morss,  Matthew  Sarocha,  Nathan 
Story,  Thomas  Wood,  John  Badcock,  John  Bailey, 
Joseph  Belcher,  Thomas  Bould,  were  three  months' 
men,  in  1777. 

Robert  Knowlton  and  Joseph  Lee  were  nine  months' 
men,  enlisted  April  20,  1778. 

The  list  is  incomplete.  The  Pay  Rolls  in  the  Adju- 
tant General's  office  give  other  names,  but  it  is  doubt- 
ful in  some  instances  if  they  were  Manchester  men. 
Probably  a  complete  list  of  those  who  served  in  the 
Revolutionary  War  cannot  now  be  secured. 

The  last  suvivor  of  the  Revolutionary  Soldiers  was 
Ebenezer  Tappan,  who  died  May  16,  1849. 

The  names  of  Officers  in  the  State  Militia,  from  1781, 
with  date  of  commission,  promotion  and  discharge, 
are  to  be  found  in  the  Adjutant  General's  office. 

III.      WAR  OF   1812. 

The  Records  of  the  War  of  1812  are  very  meagre. 
There  is,  however,  a  list  of  eighty-five  men  who  were 
enrolled  in  a  Company  of  Foot,  under  Capt.  Joseph 
Hooi^er.  Among  them  will  be  recognized  many  who 
were  the  immediate  ancestors  of  present  inhabitants  of 
Manchester. 

Inspection  Koll 

OF 

Capt.  Joseph  Hooper's  Company. 

May,  1812.1 

Joseph  Hooper,  Captain, 
Daniel  Friend,  Lieut., 
Ebenezer  Tappan,  Jr.,  Sergt., 
Amos  Knight,  Sergt., 
'  JHde  p.  129. 


292 


HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 


William  Lee, 
Abiel  Burgess,  Jr., 
Levi  Tuck, 
Nath'l  Hildretli, 
James  Tuck, 
Jacob  Cheever,  1st, 
Joseph  Lee,  Jr., 
Nathan  Allen,  Jr., 
James  Allen, 
William  Hale, 
Andrew  Brown,  2d, 
John  Driver, 
Solomon  Driver,  Jr., 
Ezekiel  Allen, 
David  Bennett, 
Samuel  Forster, 
Simeon  Haskell, 
Andrew  Roberts, 
Nathan  Carter, 
Samuel  Kinsman, 
Benjamin  Lee, 
Wm.  Norwood, 
Benjamin  Tappan, 
James  Brown, 
John  Miller, 
John  Farris, 
Samuel  Peart, 
Eben'r  Baker, 
George  Cross, 
Nath'l  M.  Allen, 
Aaron  Lee, 
Zacheus  Goldsmith, 
Israel  Morgau,  Jr., 
■  Thomas  Ayres, 
Caleb  Knowlton, 
Benjamin  Knowlton, 
Enos  Merrill, 
Samuel  Edwards, 
Abner  Allen,  Jr., 
John  O.  Morgan, 


Eichard  Trask, 
John  W.  Allen, 
Asiah  Brown, 
William  Goodale, 
Richard  Allen, 
John  Tuck, 
Andrew  Brown,  1st., 
John  Cheever,  Jr., 
Wm.  Stone, 
Joseph  Allen, 
Thomas  H.  Kitfield, 
John  Orsband, 
Samuel  Cheever, 
Jacob  Cheever,  2d, 
Ben.  Knowlton, 
James  Hildreth, 
Ephraim  demons, 
Jacob  Kitfield, 
David  Goldsmith, 
John  Goldsmith, 
John  Hooper, 
Abraham  Stone, 
Abraham  Stone,  Jr., 
James  Knight, 
Benjamin  Morgan, 
Wm.  Camp,  Jr., 
Jacob  Peart, 
Isaac  Lee,  Jr., 
William  Russell, 
James  Dow, 
David  Allen, 
Isaac  Preston, 
William  Mann, 
Nathan  Allen, 
Thomas  Leach, 
Daniel  Currier, 
Wm.  Peart, 
Stephen  Ferguson, 
Nathan  Lee,  Jr., 
Sam'l  Tuck, 
Samuel  Lee. 


11 


APPENDIX    F.  293 

The  last  survivor  was  Jacob  Cheever,  who   died  in 

^86. 

IV.       NAMES  OF  ME:N^  WHO  SERVED  IN  THE  ARMY  AND  NAVY, 

18G1-1865. 

From  I\ei:)Ovt  published  by  vote  of  the  Town,  March  19, 
186(5.1 

The  whole  number  of  men  furnished  by  the  town  for  the 
Army  and  Navy  is  one  hundred  fifty-nine;  twenty -four  of 
whom  reenlisted  and  counted  a  second  time  to  the  credit  of 
the  town,  making  a  total  of  one  hundred  eighty-three  men 
furnished  under  the  different  calls  of  the  President,  besides 
this  town's  proportion  of  the  State  naval  credits  at  large. 

Five  enlisted  on  the  first  call  for  75,000  men  for  three 
months,  viz. : 

Samuel  W.  Tuck, 

Samuel  Goodridge,  Jr., 

Frederic  W.  Smith, 

Albert  C.  Douglas, 

Frank  P.  Haskell. 

Sixty-eight  enlisted  to  serve  three  years,  or  during  the  war, 
and  for  no  bounty,  namely: 

Hugh  Kinmonth,  David  A.  Lee, 

Charles  Julinke,  Albert  C.  Douglass, 

Alexander  Glenn,  Samuel  W.  Tuck, 

Benjamin  Allen,  Jr.,  Ariel  P.  Crowell,  Jr., 

Hardy  P.  Murray,  Thomas  D.  Widger, 

Laban  F.  Gushing,  Dennis  Donnovan, 

Edward  F.  Allen,  James  W.  Widger, 

William  H.  Allen,  Gilman  Goldsmith, 

Isaac  F.  Allen,  John  H.  Harris, 

Eufus  S.  Wadleigh,  George  A.  Brown,  Jr., 

Samuel  Kuowlton,  Frederick  W.  Smith, 

William  H.  Hooper,  George  H.  Morgan, 

Julius  F.  llabardy,  Stephen  B.  Allen, 

George  W.  Glenn,  Jacob  E.  Ayers, 

Henry  P.  Kitfield,  Frank  E.  Tucker, 

Thomas  Poland,  Albert  H.  Goldsmith, 

1  Tins  report,  evidently  prepared  with  great  care  and  acouracy,  was 
presented  by  the  Selectmen  —  George  F.  Allen,  Aaron  Bennett,  Albion 
Gilman. 


294  HISTORY    OP    MANCHESTER. 

D.  L.  B.  Knowlton,  Samuel  S.  Hooper, 

William  Albert,  David  Shepard, 

Thomas  J.  Sargent,  Albert  S.  Dow, 

Thomas  McCormick,  Wiuthrop  Sargent, 

Hiram  C.  Norcross,  James  H.  Lee, 

William  H.  Bingham,  Robert  T.  Lucas, 

James  E,  Dustin,  John  G.  Lucas, 

Horace  M.  Osborne,  Amos  K.  Flowers, 

Daron  W.  Morse,  Edward  S.  West, 

Frederic  W.  Martin,  William  H.  Haskell, 

Hiram  Wagner,  John  C.  Martin, 

Charles  Cross,  Jacob  H.  Dow, 

Samuel  Driver,  Jr.,  Edward  V.  Wells, 

Edwin  P.  Stanley,  Gilman  D,  Andrews, 

George  A.  Rowe,  Samuel  J.  Andrews, 

John  C.  Douglass,  Otis  P.  Gorten, 

William  A.  Stone,  George  W.  Stanley, 

Benjamin  F.  Tuck,  Daniel  S.  Pert. 

Twenty-one  enlisted  for  three  years,  receiving  a  bounty  from 
the  town  and  state : 

Charles  E.  Lee,  Town  bounty. 

Sewell  M.  Rogers,  "           " 

James  H.  Ireland,  "           " 

Charles  W.  Pert,  "          " 

William  Miles,  "          " 

Charles  L.  Parsons,  "          " 

William  Mitchel,  "          " 

Thomas  G.  Murphy,  "          " 

Samuel  L.  Pert,  "          " 

William  Bourke,  "          " 

George  H.  S-tory,  "           " 

Charles  E.  Gilson,  »           " 

Larkin  W.  Story,  "           " 

Alfred  S.  Jewett,  "           " 

Charles  P.  Goldsmith,     2d  enlistment,  "           " 
Andrew  J.  Crowell,  received  bounty  from  Hamilton,  but  cred- 
ited to  Manchester. 

George  H.  Martin,  State  bounty. 

Benjamin  F.  Tuck,            2d  enlistment,  "           " 

John  H.  Boynton,  "           " 

George  H.  Clements,  ''           " 

Edward  P.  Hooper,         2d  enlistment  "           " 


APPENDIX    F. 


295 


Seven  were  drafted  July  10,  1863,  for  three  years,  and  served 
until  discharged  at  the  end  of  the  war,  excepting  one  who  died 
while  in  the  service: 

Charles  H.  Stone, 
Sam'l  X.  Lendall, 
David  C.  Goodridge, 
Goldsmith. 

The  two  first  named  of  these  enlisted  before  the  time  ap- 
pointed for  examination,  were  accepted,  and  received  the  State 
bounty  given  to  volunteers. 

Twenty-three  enlisted  and  served  for  nine  months  and  re- 
ceived from  the  town  a  bounty  of  6100  each: 


George  Edward  Andrews, 
George  E.  Andrews, 
John  H.  Meade r, 

John  T 


William  E.  Wheaton, 
Jeffrey  T.  Stanley, 
Errol  Grant, 
Luther  F.  Allen, 
William  J.  Pert, 
Francis  B.  Pert, 
Stei)hen  A.  Ferguson, 
Sam'l  L.  Allen, 
Frank  P.  Haskell, 
Xathaniel  M.  Andrews, 
George  Willmonton, 


John  H.  Watson, 
Charles  P.  Goldsmith, 
Rufus  P.  Ferguson, 
E.  P.  Davenport, 
Joseph  H.  Bingham, 
Jeremiah  R.  Lord, 
Milo  T,  Hardy, 
Daniel  S.  Pert, 
Charles  C.  Parsons,* 
George  A.  Foss,i 


Edward  P.  Hooper,* 
Joseph  A.  Morgan, 
Twenty-three  enlisted  for  one  year,  who  received  a  bounty 

from  the  town  of  $125  each.     The  first  two,  Higgins  and  Lnw- 

ler,  received  from  the  citizens'  fund,  one  $140,  the  other  $175, 

additional. 

George  A.  Lendall, 
Sam'l  C.  Martin, 
Ezra  Stanley,  Jr., 
Henry  C.  Smith, 
John  W.  Stone, 
Benjamin  Thompson, 
Edward  Y.  Wells, 
Alex.  H.  C.  Payson, 
Edward  Baker, 
Paul  Stanley,  2d, 
Charles  P.  Crombie, 
George  A.  Jones. 
1  These  three  men  received  a  bounty  from  Essex,  Maiden  and  Boston, 

but  were  credited  to  JVIanchester. 


Joseph  H.  Higgins, 
John  Lawler, 
Charles  H.  Dow, 
John  R.  Lee, 
Edgar  E.  Jones, 
James  H.  Andrews, 
Clarence  Allen, 
George  P.  Burnham, 
John  A.  Gilbert, 
George  Haskell, 
Augustus  L.  Juhnke, 


296  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Fourteen  enlisted  for  100  clays  aud  received  no  boimty: 
Clarence  Allen,  William  H.  Elwell, 

Henry  C.  Smith,  George  N.  Drivei', 

John  W.  Stone,  Thomas  Morgan, 

Edward  Y.  Wells,  David  F.  Bennett, 

(xustavus  O.  Stanley,  Grin  W.  Andrews, 

Frank  A.  Rowe,  John  G.  Haskell,  Jr., 

Charles  G.  Bingham,  Stephen  G.  Hildreth. 

Three  jjaid  commutation  money,  aud  one  furnished  a  substi- 
tute. 

Eleven  enlisted  aud  served  in  the  Xaval  Service: 
John  J.  Giles,  Edward  Baker, 

George  H.  Story,  Jerry  Kannaley, 

Henry  T.  Bingham,  Jr.,  Joseph  Norcross, 

Oliver  F.  Stone,  Wm.  D.  Giles,  Master's  Mate, 

William  H.  Woodbury,  Oliver  F.  Smith,  still  in  service, 

Isaac  Baker. 

Sixteen  died  in  the  military  and  two  in  the  naval  service: 

Edward  F.  Allen.  Taken  prisoner,  July  1,  ISOo,  at  battle  of 
Gettysburg.     Died  Dec.  5,  1863,  at  Belle  Isle  Prison,  Va. 

William  H.  Allen.  Taken  i^risoner  at  the  same  time,  and 
died  at  the  same  place,  November,  1863. 

Rufus  S.  Wadleigh.  Died  at  Culpeper,  Va.,  Jan.  2,  1864,  of 
chronic  diarrhoia. 

David  A.  Lee.     Died  at  Yorktown,  of  fever,  in  May,  1862. 

Horace  M.  Osborn,  Drowned  by  accidentally  falling  from 
the  steamer  on  his  way  to  Newbern,  N.  C,  June  18,  1863. 

Samuel  S.  Hooper.  Died  of  fever  in  Newbern,  N.  C,  Apr. 
13,  1862. 

Albert  S.  Bow.     Died  at  Beaufort,  S.  C,  Sept.  14,  1803. 

James  H.  Lee.  Died  in  Newbern,  N.  C,  Aug.  27, 1862,  of  in- 
flammation of  brain. 

Charles  L.  Parsous.     Died  of  chronic  diarrhoea,  Feb.  7,  1864. 

Samuel  L.  Pert.  Died  Oct.  24,  1863,  soon  after  arriving 
home. 

Stephen  A.  Ferguson.  Died  July  19,  1863,  of  fever  con- 
tracted in  Newbern,  at  home  only  a  few  days. 

Joseph  A.  Morgan.  Died  July  3,  1863,  four  days  after  arriv- 
ing home,  of  fever  and  exhaustion. 

George  E.  Andrews.  Died  near  Washington,  Sept.  26,  1864, 
of  chronic  diarrhoea. 


APPENDIX    r 


29" 


Samuel  Goodridge,  Jr.  Died  in  prison  in  Florence,  S.  C, 
Feb.  5,  1865. 

Oliver  F.  Stone.  Died  in  prison  in  Georgia;  taken  prisoner 
while  on  shore  in  naval  service. 

William  H.  Woodbury.  Died  on  board  of  sloop-of-war  Hart- 
ford, Sept.  7,  1862,  off  the  coast  of  Florida,  of  fever. 

Four  were  killed  in  battle,  as  follows:  — 

Ariel  P.  Crowell,  Jr.,  at  Gaines'  Mills,  Va.,  June  27,  1862. 

Isaac  F.  Allen,  at  Autietam,  Sept.  17,  1862. 

William  Bourke,  at  Antietam,  Sept.  17,  1862. 

Edward'  S.  West,  near  the  AVeldon  Railroad,  Ya.,  Aug.  16, 
1864. 

Two  died  from  wounds  received  in  action: 

Hardy  P.  ^Murray,  wounded  July  1st,  at  the  battle  of  Gettys- 
burg; died  July  8,  186:3. 

Benjamin  Allen,  Jr.,  wounded  by  a  shell  Avliile  under  fire 
near  the  Weldon  Eailroad,  Va.,  Aug.  2:3,  1804;  was  conveyed  to 
Washington  and  died  Aug.  29. 

Discharged   from   service   by  reason  of   disease   contracted 
while  there,  and  wounds  received  in  action: 
Laban  F.  Gushing,  George  A.  Brown,  Jr., 

William  H.  Hooper,  David  Shepard, 

Julius  F.  Eabardy,  Amos  K.  Flowers,^ 

Henry  P.  Kitfield,  William  H.  Haskell, 

Thomas  McCormick,  Jacob  H.  Dow, 

James  E.  Dustin,  Edward  V.  Wells, 

Daron  W.  Morse,  Gilman  D.  Andrews, 

Frederic  W.  Martin,  George  W.  Stanley, 

Hiram  Wagner,  William  Miles, 

Edwin  P.  Stanley,  Thomas  G.  Murphy, 

John  C.  Douglass,  Larkin  W.  Story, 

Benjamin  F.  Tuck,  Daniel  S.  Pert, 

Samuel  W.  Tuck,  Samuel  X.  Lendall. 

Whole  number  wounded  by  the  enemj',  and  now  living:  ' 
Charles  Juhnke,  in  the  hand. 
William  H.  Hooper,  lost  an  arm  at  Gettysburg. 
.Julius  F.  Rabardy,  lost  a  leg  at  Antietam. 
Daron  W.  Morse,  shot  through  the  body  in  action  at  Glen- 
dale,  June  30,  1862. 

1  Mar.  19,  1866. 


298  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Frederic  W.  Martin,  lost  a  leg  in  action  at  Glendale,  June  30, 
1862. » 

Charles  Cross,  slightly  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness. 

Samuel  Driver,  Jr.,  severely  at  Antietam,  and  the  battle  of 
the  Wilderness. 

Edwin  P.  Stanley,  severely  in  leg  at  Glendale,  June  30,  1SG2. 

John  C.  Douglass,  lost  an  arm  at  first  Fredericksburg.^ 

Dennis  Donnovan,  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Whitehall,  X.  C, 
Dec.  10,  1862,  and  at  Cold  Harbor,  Va.,  June  3,  1864. 

Stephen  B.  Allen,  at  the  battle  of  Whitehall,  X.  C,  Dec.  16,. 
1862. 

Jacob  E.  Ayers,  in  action  at»Deep  Bottom,  Va.,  Aug.  IS,  1864. 

Robert  T.  Lucas,  at  the  taking  of  Newbern. 

Charles  E.  Lee,  in  action  at  Olustee,  Fla. 

George  H.  Story,  at  the  battle  of  Cedar  Creek,  Va.,  Oct.  19, 
1864.3 

Luther  F.  Allen,  slightly  at  the  battle  of  Kingston,  IST.  C. 

John  H.  Meader,  at  Laurel  Hill,  Va.,  May  8,  1864,  and  at 
Hatcher's  Hun,  Va.,  Feb.  4,  1865 — serious. 

Samuel  X.  Lendall,  lost  an  arm  at  the  battle  of  Laurel  Hill, 
Va.,  May  8,  1864. 

John  H.  Boynton,  at  Chai'lestown,  Va.,  Aug.  29,  1864. 

Jacob  H.  Dow,  lost  a  leg  in  the  attack  before  Petersburg, 
July  29,  1864,  after  the  explosion  of  the  mine  which  blew  up  a 
portion  of  the  enemy's  works. 

Forty-eight  were  discharged  by  reason  of  the  expiration  of 
their  term  of  service. 

Seven  were  taken  prisoners  by  the  enemy,  three  of  whom, 
Andrew  J.  Crowell,  John  T.  Goldsmith  and  George  H. 
Clements,  were  exchanged  ;  the  other  four,  Oliver  F.  Stone, 
Edward  F.  Allen,  William  H.  Allen  and  Samuel  Goodridge, 
Jr.,  died  in  rebel  prison. 

Whole  number  in  the  service  at  the  close  of  the  war  and  dis- 
charged by  General  Orders  of  the  War  Department,  sixty  : 
Charles  Juhnke,  Charles  H.  Stone, 

Samuel  Knowlton  David  C.  Goodridge, 

Thomas  Poland,  George  H.  Martin, 

p.  L.  B.  Knowlton,  John  H.  Boynton, 

1  Died  Sept.  11,1877. 

2  Died  ill  California. 
3Died  JunelG,  1877. 


APPENDIX   F. 


299 


Hiram  C.  Norcross, 
William  H.  Bingham, 
Charles  Cross, 
Sam'l  Driver,  Jr., 
William  A.  Stone, 
Albert  C.  Douglass, 
Dennis  Donnovan, 
John  H.  Harris, 
Stephen  B.  Allen, 
Jacob  E.  Ayers, 
Winthrop  Sargent, 
John  C.  Martin, 
Sam'l  J.  Andrews, 
Otis  P.  Gorten, 
Charles  E.  Lee, 
Sewell  M.  Rogers, 
James  H.  Ireland, 
Charles  W.  Pert, 
William  Mitch  el, 
George  H.  Story, 
Charles  E.  Gilson, 
Alfred  S.  Jewett, 
Edward  P.  Hooper, 
George  Edward  Andrews, 
John  H.  Meader, 
John  T.  Goldsmith, 


George  H.  Clements, 

John  Lawler, 

Joseph  H.  Higgins, 

Charles  P.  Goldsmith, 

Charles  H.  Dow, 

John  Pi.  Lee, 

Edgar  E.  Jones, 

James  H.  Andrews, 

Clarence  Allen, 
George  P.  Burnham, 

John  A.  Gilbert, 
George  Haskell, 
Augustus  L.  Jvihnke, 
George  A.  Jones, 
Andrew  J.  Crowell, 
George  A.  Lendall, 
Samuel  C.  Martin, 
Ezra  Stanley,  Jr., 
Henry  C.  Smith, 
John  W.  Stone, 
Benjamin  Thompson, 
Edward  V.  Wells, 
Alex.  H.  C.  Payson, 
Edward  Baker, 
Paul  Stanley,  2d, 
Charles  P.  Crombie. 


Three  still  remain 


and  two  in  the  navy, 


in  the  service,  one  in  the  army, 
Fred.  W.  Smith,' 

William  D.  Giles,' 
Oliver  F.  Smith. 


Eighteen  served  through  the  war,  first  enlisted  in  the  sum- 
mer and  fall  of  1861,  reenlisting  at  the  end  of  two  years;  and 
two  of  them  were  among  those  who  responded  to  the  first  call 
of  President  Lincoln  for  75,000  men  in  April,  18G1 : 


Frederic  W.  Smith, 
Albert  C.  Douglass, 
Charles  Juhnke, 
Samuel  Knowlton, 


William  A.  Stone, 
Dennis  Donnovan, 
John  H.  Harris, 
Stephen  B.  Allen, 


1  Discharged  since  this  Report  was  prepared. 


300  lliSTOKY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Thomas  Poland,  Jacob  E.  Ayers, 

Hiram  C.  Norcross,  Wintlirop  Sargent, 

William  H.  Biugliam,  John  C.  Martin, 

Charles  Cross,  Samuel  J.  Andrews, 

Samuel  Driver,  Jr.,  Otis  P.  Gorten. 

Number  of  Commissioned  Officers,  four: 

Samuel  W.  Tuck,  1st  Lieut., 
William  A.  Stone,  1st  Lieut., 
Frederic  W.  Smith,  2d  Lieut.,  Eegular  Army, 
Charles  Cross,  2d  Lieut. 

The  above  Rej5ort  is  of  great  value,  and  worthy  of 
being  placed  in  this  permanent  form  for  future  refer- 
ence. 

Further  information  regarding  the  soldiers  of  Man- 
chester, especially  since  the  close  of  the  War,  may  be 
found  in  the  Records  of  Allen  Post,  No.  67,  G.  A.  R. 

The  following  classified  list  of  Manchester  men  who 
died  in  the  service  will  be  found  of  convenience  : 

Died  in  Rebel  Prisons. 

Edmund  C.  Morgan,  Co.  G,  23d  Reg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  An- 
dersonville,  Ga.,  Aug.  5,  1SG4. 

Samuel  Goodridge,  Jr.,  Co.  G,  23d  Reg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at 
Florence,  S.  C,  Feb.  5,  1865. 

Oliver  F.  Stone,  U.  S.  Gunboat  Sumter,  at  Macon,  Ga.,  Aug. 
30,  1862. 

William  H.  Allen,  Co.  K,  12th  Reg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  Xovembei",  1863. 

Edward  F.  Allen,  Co.  K,  12th  Reg't  Mass,  Vols.,,  at  Rich- 
mond, Va.,  Dec.  5,  1863. 

Died  from  Disease  while  in  the  Service. 

Samuel  L.  Peart,  Co.  D,  40th  Reg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Manchester, 
Mass.,  Oct.  24,  1863. 

Rufus  L.  Wadleigh,  Co.  K,  12th  Reg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Cul- 
peper,  Va.,  Jan.  2,  1864.         * 

Charles  L.  Parsons,  Co.  D,  40th  Reg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Hilton 
Head,  S.  C,  March  7,  1863. 


APPENDIX    F.  301 

George  E.  Andrews,  Co.  G,  3d  Eeg't  H.  A.  Mass.  Vols.,  at 
Fort  Bacon,  D.  C.,  Sept.  26,  1864. 

Horace  M.  Osborne,  Co.  G,  2.3d  Keg't  Mass.  Vols.,  drowned 
June  18,  1863,  while  returning  from  furlough  to  rejoin  his 
Eeg't. 

.Joseph  A.  Morgan,  Co.  A,  45th  Reg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Man- 
chester, Mass.,  July  3,  1863. 

Stephen  A.  Ferguson,  Co.  A,  45th  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Man- 
chester, Mass.,  July  19,  1863. 

Albert  S.  Dow,  Co.  D,  24th  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Morris 
Island,  S.  C,  Sept.  4,  1863. 

Samuel  S.  Hooper,  Co.  F,  23d  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  New-, 
bern,  X.  C,  April  13,  1862. 

David  A.  Lee,  Co.  H,  19tli  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Newport 
News,  Va.,  June  4,  1862. 

James  H.  Lee,  Co.  D,  24th  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Little  Wash- 
ington, N.  C,  Sept.  7,  1862. 

William  H.  Vv^oodberry,  U.  S.  Sloop  of  War,  Hartford,  at 
Pensacola,  Fla.,  Sept.  7,  1862. 

Died  from  Wounds  'Received  in  Battle. 

Hardy  P.  Murray,  Co.  K,  12th  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at  Gettys- 
burg, Pa.,  July  6,  1863. 

Serg't  Benjamin  Allen,  Jr.,  Co.  K,  11th  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols.,  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  Aug.  24,  1864. 

Killed  in  Battle. 

Corp.  Ariel  P.  Crowell,  Jr.,  Co.  E,  22d  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols., 
June  27,  1862,  at  Gaines'  Mills,  Va. 

Isaac  F.  Allen,  Co.  K,  12th  Reg't  Mass.  Vols.,  Sept.  17,  1862, 
at  Antietam,  Md. 

William  Bourke,  Co.  F,  28th  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols.,  Sept.  17, 
1862,  at  Antietam,  Md. 

Edward  S.  West,  Co.  K,  24th  Eeg't  Mass.  Vols.,  Aug.  16, 
1864,  near  Weldon  Eailroad,  Va. 

"  The  voice  of  patriot  blood. 
Thus  poured  for  faith  and  freedom,  hath  a  tone 
Which  from  the  night  of  ages,  from  the  gulf 
Of  death,  shall  burst,  and  make  its  high  appeal 
Sound  unto  earth  and  heaven." 


(303) 


1   IKM     ri  ISI     (II   IICK 


APPENDIX  G. 

The  Post  Office  Service. 

[The  facts  given  below  were  furnished  by  George  F.  Allen 
:aud  J.  F.  Rabardy,  Esqs.,  whose  kindness  has  placed  the  writer 
under  great  obligation.  ] 

The  first  Postmaster  of  Manchester  was  Dea.  Delu- 
ceiia  L.  Bingham,  who  was  appointed  in  1803,  and  held 
the  office  until  his  death  in  1837.  At  the  beginning  of 
Mr.  Bingham's  term  there  were  three  mails  per  week 
from  Gloucester  and  Manchester  to  Boston,  carried  by 
Jonathan  Low's  coach,  which  left  Manchester  at  9 
A.  M.,  and  returning,  arrived  at  3  P.  M.  the  following 
•day.  Previous  to  this,  mails  had  been  carried  "  when 
convenient,"  by  a  Sloop  commanded  by  the  father  of 
Dea.  A.  E.  Low.  For  the  year  1803,  the  receipts  of 
the  office  were  $7.00.  In  1820,  there  were  but  two 
papers  taken  at  the  "  Cove,"  the  PaUadhmi  and  the 
Columbian  Centinel}  Capt,  John  Knight  took  the 
Palladium,  and  held  it  in  such  esteem  that  he  named 
one  of  his  vessels  for  it. 

William  Dodge  was  appointed  Postmaster  Nov.  17, 
1837,  and  served  until  1845.  He  owned  the  tavern, 
and  kept  the  Office  in  it,  being  assisted  sometimes  by  his 
wife.  At  the  beginning  of  his  term  there  was  one  mail 
daily,  arriving  about  3  P.  M. ;  at  its  expiration,  there 
were  two  mails,  carried  by  the  four-horse  coaches  which 
ran  from  Boston  to  Gloucester.  These  were  the  palmy 
days  of  stage- coaching. 

1  These  were  both  semi-weeklies.  The  number  of  dailies  now  taken  in 
town  averages  about  250  per  diem ;  this  is  exclusive  of  the  summer 
.season. 

303 


304  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER, 

Col.  Jefferd  M.  Decker  succeeded  William  Dodge, 
Sept.  29,  1845,  both  as  Postmaster  and  proprietor  of 
the  hotel.  On  retiring  from  the  hotel  business,  he 
removed  the  Office  to  the  house  owned  by  the  descend- 
ants of  D.  L.  Bingham.  During  his  term,  papers  pub- 
lished in  the  county  were  delivered  free  to  county 
subscribers.  Mr.  Decker  was  a  man  of  military  bearing 
and  tastes  ;  he  commanded  a  militia  company  in  town, 
and  served  in  the  early  part  of  the  War  of  the  Rebel- 
lion. 

George  F.  Allen  was  appointed  April  4,  1849,  by 
Postmaster-General  Collamore,  to  succeed  Colonel 
Decker,  Mr.  Allen  says,  "  In  those  days,  the  Office  had 
no  special  value  in  a  pecuniary  sense,  and  there  was  no 
surplus  of  applicants.  I  was  appointed  because  Mr. 
Decker  resigned  and  moved  out  of  town,  and  there  was 
no  other  caijdidate."  The  mails  at  this  time  were 
brought  by  stage  from  Salem,  John  W.  Low,  Con- 
tractor. To  him  was  remitted  the  amount  due  the 
Government  on  Quarterly  Returns,  averaging  about 
170.  The  Postmaster's  compensation,  including  Box 
rent,  amounted  to  about  $300  per  year.  At  the  first  of 
the  term,  the  Essex  mail  was  made  up  at  Manchester. 
Domestic  postage  was  forty  cents  to  the  Pacific  Coast, 
five  cents  under  one  hundred  miles,  and  ten  cents  over. 
Postage  to  Great  Britain  was  twenty-four  cents ;  single 
letters  to  China,  sixty-five  cents ;  to  Germany,  twenty- 
four  cents.  Newspaper  postage  was  one  cent  within 
one  hundred  miles,  one  and  a  half  cents  beyond,  except 
to  California,  which  was  three  cents,  and  to  Great 
Britain,  four  cents.  Postage  on  papers  sent  to  sub- 
scribers was  to  be  paid  quarterly  in  advance.  In 
making  up  the  mail,  every  letter  had  to  be  "  billed  "  to 
the  place  of  its  destination  if  within  the  State ;  letters 
out  of  the  State  to  Boston  as  a  distributing   office ;  a 


Appendix  g.  305 

record  also  had  to  be  made  of  these.  All  letters 
received  came  *•'  billed "  in  like  manner,  and  these 
"  bills  "  were  recorded  and  jDlaced  on  file.  At  the  close 
of  the  quarter  these  records  were  transcribed,  and  with 
the  "bills"  sent  to  Washington.  With  the  introduc- 
tion of  cheap  postage  and  the  great  increase  of  business 
about  the  middle  of  the  Century,  this  cumbrous  system 
was  discontinued. 

Mr.  Allen  kept  the  Office,  first  in  the  "  Bingham 
house,"  and  afterward  in  the  store  now  occupied  by  D. 
T.Beaton.  He  held  the  office  for  four  years,  "until 
there  was  no  more  need  of  a  Whig  Postmaster." 

Mr.  John  Prince  Allen  succeeded  Mr.  Allen  in  1853, 
and  proved  himself  a  good-natured,  accommodating 
official.  He  had  his  Office  on  the  northwest  corner  of 
the  Common,  near  the  site  of  the  present  Police  Station, 
in  a  building  used  as  a  cabinet  shop. 

Henry  F.  Lee  was  appointed  April  18,  1861  ;  he  was 
a  Republican,  "  but  not  of  long  standing."  The  Office 
was  kept  in  the  room  in  the  Lee  building  recently  occupied 
as  a  furnishing  store,  opposite  the  present  location.  The 
accommodations  were  very  good  for  the  time.  Mr.  Lee 
held  the  Office  during  the  War,  and  his  wife  is  remem- 
bered by  many  for  her  sympathetic  and  faithful  service 
in  those  days  when  the  mail  often  came  laden  with 
messages  of  sorrow  to  the  families  and  loved  ones  left 
at  home  by  the  nation's  defenders.  The  compensation 
at  this  time  was  $400  per  year.  The  Boxes  were  few, 
and  no  return  was  made  of  them  to  the  Department. 

Julius  F.  Rabardy,  a  native  of  France,  in  accordance 
with  a  law  of  Congress  providing  that  government 
offices  be  given,  when  advisable,  to  wounded  or  dis- 
abled Union  soldiers,  was  appointed  Postmaster,  Aug.  9, 
1865,  and  took  charge  of  the  Office,  Oct.  1.  The  office 
was  first  kept  in  the    cabinet   shop   above    spoken  of; 


306  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

afterward  in  the  store  now  occupied  by  D.  T.  Beaton  ; 
and  later  in  the  "old  Bingham  house."  But  as  more 
room  was  needed,  it  was  removed  to  its  second  tarrying 
place,  and  kept  there  until  the  completion  of  Mr. 
Rabardy's  Block  in  1885.  About  this  time,  the  Demo- 
cratic party  came  into  power,  and  against  the  earnest 
remonstrance  of  a  large  number  of  the  citizens,  in  many 
cases  irrespective  of  party,  Mr.  Rabardy  was  removed 
from  the  position  which  he  had  filled  with  fidelity  and 
to  the  satisfaction  of  the  people  generally. 

It  was  the  custom  when  Mr.  Rabardy  took  the  Office 
to  put  up  letters,  papers  and  other  mail  matter, 
addressed  to  those  who  had  not  Boxes,  in  the  window, 
as  they  were  received.  Subsequently,  when  the  busi- 
ness of  the  Office  made  this  practically  impossible,  they 
were  placed  on  an  octagonal  diaim  behind  glass,  which 
any  one  could  turn  by  a  projecting  rim  at  the  bottom. 
This  worked  well,  but  was  discontinued  by  order  of  the 
Department,  making  it  unlawful  to  expose  letters  to 
public  view,  and  requiring  letters  not  intended  for  pri- 
vate Boxes  to  be  advertised. 

Until  1872,  the  mails  for  Essex  were  received  here, 
and  carried  by  coach  to  that  town.  The  Magnolia  mail 
was  also  received  at  Manchester  until  the  Magnolia 
station  was  built. 

From  Oct.  1,  1865,  to  July  1,  1866,  the  revenue 
averaged  $60  per  quarter  ;  the  compensation  amounted 
to  1100  for  the  same  time,  consequently  the  latter  was 
reduced  to  $67.50  per  quarter.  But  in  July,  1868,  the 
yearly  pay  was  raised  to  $430,  the  net  return  for  the 
year  having  been  $469.25.  In  1874,  the  net  revenue 
was  $547.35,  and  the  salary  was  raised  to  $600  per  year. 
From  July  1  to  Sept.  1,  1885,  Mr.  Rabardy's  last  quar- 
ter, the  net  revenue  was  $630.94,  and  the  compensation 
$250  for  the  same  period.     The  business  of  the  Office 


APPENDIX    G.  307 

for  this  quarter  was :  One-cent  Stamps,  1,000  ;  Two-cent 
Stamps,  33,000  Five-cent  Stamps,  700  Ten-cent 
Stamps,  300.  Total,  including  wrappers  and  envelopes, 
$746.  The  amount  collected  for  Boxes  was  S70,  re- 
turnable to  Government. 

Among  the  improvements  made  by  the  P.  O.  Depart- 
ment, during  Mr.  Rabardj^'s  twenty  years  of  service, 
were  the  reduction  of  Domestic  postage  from  three  to 
two  cents  per  one  half  ounce,'  the  introduction  of  Postal 
Cards,  the  Money  Order  system,  and  the  formation  of 
the  Postal  Union,  which  to-day  includes  over  eighty 
nationalities,  of  almost  all  grades  of  civilization,  and 
secures  safety  and  regularity  in  the  transmission  of 
mails  and  a  low  rate  of  postage  over  nearly  the  whole 
world. 

During  Mr.  Rabardy's  term  of  office,  not  a  single 
Registered  letter,  foreign  or  domestic,  was  lost,  and  no 
native  ever  asked  aid  in  recognizing  his  name.  In  1870 
Mr.  Rabardy  opened  a  telegraph  office,  which  was  a 
great  public  convenience,  at  his  own  risk  and  expense, 
and  thus  placed  the  town  under  great  obligations  ;  the 
office  was  relinquished  by  him  after  fifteen  years,  on  his 
dismissal  from  public  service. 

Mr.  William  J.  Johnson  received  appointment  as  Post- 
master, Sept.  2, 1885,  and  opened  the  Office  in  October  in 
the  place  which  it  has  since  occupied.  In  1887,  Manches- 
ter was  made  a  Money  Order  office,  and  the  year's  busi- 
ness in  that  branch  amounted  to  about  $10,000.  The 
same  year,  the  office  became  a  third-class  office,  and  Mr. 
Johnson  was  confirmed  as  Postmaster  of  that  grade  by 
the  Senate,  Jan.  16,  1888.  In  the  year  ending  Dec.  81, 
1889,  the  receipts  of  the  office  were  82,561.47 ;  the 
salary  was  $1,200,  fuel,  light  and  rent  being  paid  by  the 
Department. 

Mr.  Jeffrey  T.  Stanley  succeeded  Mr.  Johnson,  March 


308  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

1,  1890.  He  had  served  in  the  45th  Regiment,  Massa- 
chusetts Vohmteers.  Mr.  Stanley  was  succeeded  in 
1895  by  Mr.  Charles  H.  Danforth. 

The  business  of  the  Office  in  1894  was  as  follows: 
Stamps,  Stamped  Envelopes,  Postal  Cards  and  Wrap- 
pers, $3,079.55;  Money  Orders,  836;  Box-rents, 
1334.70 ;  Registered  Letters  and  Packages  received  and 
sent.  662, 


■III 


Qi 


"-*i-  ~*» raw     MiCj*5.«^^?*^ 


(309) 


ENGINE   HOUSE. 


APPENDIX  H. 

The  Fire  DEPARXirEXT. 

The  matter  of  fires  and  methods  of  extinguishing 
them  very  early  claimed  the  attention  of  the  people  in 
the  larger  towns.  Buildings  were  constructed  at  first 
almost  entirely  of  wood,  and  fires  were  common. 
There  "were  tires  in  the  early  history  of  Boston  which, 
for  size  and  destructiveness,  considering  the  small 
population  and  limited  area,  were  as  disastrous  as  many 
of  the  great  fires  of  recent  times.  From  1653  to  1795, 
no  less  than  twenty  fires  had  occurred  "  so  extensive 
in  their  desolation  as  to  be  selected  for  the  records  of 
history."  ^  Many  of  these  fires  were  accompanied  by  a 
sad  loss  of  life. 

The  early  records  show  that  there  was  a  great  fear 
of  fires ;  precautions  were  taken  Avhich  seem  almost 
oppressive.  The  following  By-Laws  were  adopted  by 
the  town  in  1808  : 

It  is  ordered — That  no  person  or  persons  shall  presume  to 
make  any  bonfires,  or  set  fire  to  any  wood,  straw,  shavings, 
or  other  combustible  matter,  by  night  or  by  day,  in  any 
street,  lane  or  alley,  or  in  any  private  or  public  yard,  in  this 
town,  or  make  any  bonfire  in  any  part  of  the  town  on  the 
evening  of  the  fifth  day  of  November,^  in  any  year  hearafter, 
under  the  penalty  of  forfeiting  and  paying  Thi-ee  Dollars. 

If  charcoal  was  kindled  by  "  any  tradesmen  or  others 
in  a  pot  or  pan  out  of  doors,  nigh  their  house  or  shop," 
it  was  to  be  "  during  the  daylight  only,"  and  some  care- 

1  A  Brief  History  of  the  Massachusetts  Charitable  Fire  Society ;  H.  H. 
Sprague.    Boston,  1893. 

'  Guy  Fawkes'  Day,  the  Anniversary  of  the  Gunpowder  Plot,  1605. 

300 


310  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

ful  person  was  to  stand  by  "  to  watch  the  same  while  it 
shall  fontinue  in  the  open  aire."     It  was  also  ordered: 

That  no  person  or  persons  shall  presume  hereafter  to  carry 
fire  from  any  house  or  place  within  the  town  to  any  other 
house  or  place  within  the  same,  but  in  some  vessel  which 
shall  sufficiently  secure  the  fire  from  being  [blown]  about  by 
the  wind,  or  scattered  by  the  way — under  penalty  of  forfeit- 
ing and  paying  the  sum  of  Fifty  Cents  for  each  offence. 

Chimneys  were  to  be  "  Regularly  and  Seasonably 
Cleansed."  The  "firing"  of  chimneys  was  to  be  "  at 
or  nearly  a  calm  time,  when  it  shall  actually  rain  or 
snow,  and  between  the  time  of  sun  rising  and  twelve 
o'clock  at  noon."     It  was  fm-ther  ordered  : 

That  no  person  shall  hang  any  beef  or  pork  for  the  purpos 
of  smoking  the  same,  on  the  top  of  any  chimney  unless  upon 
an  iron  bar  or  hook,  on  penalty  of  forfeiting  and  paying  Two 
Dollars. 

Defective  chimneys  were  to  be  "  viewed "  by  the 
Selectmen  ;  it  was  forbidden  to  run  any  funnel  thi'ough 
a  wooden  building  exce23t  it  was  "  surrounded  with 
brick  work,"  and  no  stove  was  to  be  placed  in  any 
store  "  without  a  double  hearth."  Coopers  were  not  to 
"burn  Casks  but  in  a  sufficient  chimney,"  and  Boat 
builders  were  not  to  "  steam  or  burn  any  boards  or 
plank  .  .  .  but  in  such  place  as  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Selectmen  shall  be  thought  safe." 

From  these  and  similar  precautions  it  seems  that  pre- 
vention was  considered  better  than  cure.  Our  fathers 
believed  that  "  fire  is  a  good  servant,  but  a  bad  master," 
and  acted  accordingly.  And  they  determined  that  as  a 
servant  it  should  be  made  to  keep  its  place.  To  these 
restrictions,  burdensome  as  they  may  seem,  they  no 
doubt  owed,  in  a  large  measure,  their  immunity  from 
serious  and  sweeping  conflagrations. 

According  to  one  of  our  oldest  citizens,  Manchester 


APPENDIX   H.  311 

was  vei'y  early  awake  to  the  necessity  of  an  efficient  fire 
department.  "  The  fire  brigade  of  those  days  was  a 
voluntary  institution,  the  members  serving  without  pay, 
but  was  nevertheless  very  effective."  The  substantial 
citizens  furnished  their  hall-ways  with  leather  buckets, 
in  which  they  took  great  pride.  "  They  were  hand- 
somely painted,  with  the  owner's  name  enclosed  in  an 
artistic  design  upon  their  sides."  In  case  of  an  alarm, 
the  people  rallied,  a  line  was  formed  to  the  nearest 
water,  and  under  the  direction  of  some  influential  citi- 
zen the  work  commenced.  "  During  the  existence  of 
this  system,  covering  a  period  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  but  two  buildings  are  known  to  have  been  de- 
stroyed by  fire." 

Manchester  adopted  some  enterpi'ising  measures  in 
the  direction  of  protecting  the  town  against  fires,  when 
the  Fire  Departments,  even  in  the  cities,  were  in  a  very 
primitive  stage  of  development.  In  1828,  the  town 
bought  the  first  fire  engine,  the  "  Eagle,"  and  twelve 
pairs  of  leather  buckets,  and  a  citizens'  fire  company 
was  formed.  Col.  Eben  Tappan  was  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  fire  engines  at  this  time,  and  built  one 
in  1832,  the  ''Torrent,"  a  suction  engine,  which  was 
used  in  the  great  fire  of  1836,  and  was  aftei'ward  bought 
by  the  town.'^  This  engine  did  good  service  until  laid 
up  in  ordinary,  in  1885,  a  period  of  fifty-three  years,  a 
most  remarkable  record. 

Mr.  Tappan  had  been  in  the  furniture  business  about 
eleven  years,  when  in  1826  he  began  the  building  of  fire 
engines,  without  a  previous  knowledge  of  foundi-y  work 
or  special  instruction  in  mechanics.  "  The  plans  were 
entirely  his  own,  and    he  worked  out  his  own  models 

1  An  engine  is  mentioned  in  the  Gloucester  Telegrdph,  Sept.  25, 1830,  as 
built  by  Mr.  Tappan,  which  "  held  about  125  gallons,"  and  was  "  capable  of 
emptying  itself  in  one  minute,  throwing  a  good  column  of  water  a  distance 
of  103  feet." 


312  HISTOEY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

and  patterns.  The  village  blacksmith  did  the  ironwork 
under  Mr.  Tappan's  immediate  supervision.  The  brass- 
work  came  to  Mr.  Tappan  from  a  Boston  foundry  in  the 
rough,  and  Mr.  Tappan's  own  hands  finished  and  fitted 
it.  He  also  did  all  the  work  of  the  coppersmith.  In 
short,  with  the  aid  alone  of  the  blacksmith,  to  whom 
reference  is  made  above,  the  engines  from  Mi-.  Tappan's 
hands  were  the  result  of  his  own  unaided  skill  and  in- 
dustry." ^ 

In  April,  1836,  Engine  ComjDany  No.  2  was  organ- 
ized, with  E.  Smith,  S.  F.  Parsons  and  J.  A.  Allen  as 
"  Captains."  This  company  disbanded,  April  2,  1838, 
"  the  clerk  only  dissenting."  A  new  company  was 
formed,  April  4,  1838,  and  disbanded  April  4,  1839. 
On  April  24,  1839,  a  company  was  again  formed,  with 
John  C.  Wells,  G.  W.  Marble  and  Jolm  Godsoe  as 
"  Masters,"  and  J.  W.  Mann  as  Clerk.  The  fire  depart- 
ment seems  now  to  have  got  fairly  upon  its  feet,  and  its 
history  may  be  said  to  have  commenced. 

Two  of  the  greatest  fires  with  which  the  toM-n  has 
been  visited  occurred  when  the  department  was  yet 
young  and  inexperienced,  and  appear  to  have  been 
handled  with  bravery  and  skill.  These  were  the  "  great 
fire"  of  Aug.  28,  1836,^  and  the  fire  of  Feb.  1,  1838.3 
Thus  early  in  its  history  weighed,  and  not  found  want- 
ing, the  department  has  never  failed  in  its  prompt  und 
efticient  service  in  times  of  danger. 

Some  of  the  earlier  votes  on  record  are  of  present-day 
interest ;  among  them  are  these  : 

April  24,  1839,  "  Voted  the  use  of  the  Hall  to  tlie  Infant 
Sabbath  School  for  this  season  on  the  Sabbath." 

May  2,    1S42,   the   constitution  was  amended   as  follows  : 

1  Salem  Daily  Telegram,  June  6, 1888. 

2  Vide  page  148. 

8  John  and  Henry  Knights'  Bark  Mill  and  Currier  Shop. 


APPENDIX   H.  313 

Art.  6.  "Any  person  wishing  to  become  a  member  must  sign 
the  total  abstinence  Pledge." 

June  6,  1842,  "  Voted  not  to  admit  boys  under  14  years  of 
age  into  the  reading  room  ;  and  all  boys  for  disorderly  behav- 
iour to  be  expelled  immediately." 

May  17,  1843,  "  Voted  to  take  the  following  list  of  papers, 
viz.,  Daily  Bee,  Mercantile  Journal,  Zion's  Herald,  Phila- 
delphia Saturday  Courier,  Essex  Co.  W ashing tonian,  Boston 
Cultivator,  Portland  Transcript.''''  May  2,  1871,  "Voted  that 
this  association  subscribe  for  two  daily  papers,  namely,  the 
Boston  Post  and  Boston  Journal;  also  four  weekly  papers, 
namely,  the  Commonwealth,  Ploughman,  Gloucester  Telegraph, 
and  Portland  Transcript.'''' 

Under  date  of  Sept.  3,  1877,  mention  is  made  of  the 
"  Franklin,"  a  "  spare  engine  without  a  company,  stored 
in  a  small  building  owned  by  Charles  Lee."  This  was 
an  engine  purchased  of  the  city  of  Lynn,  and  was  too 
large  and  heavy  for  ordinary  use ;  it  needed  a  force  of 
a  hundred  men  to  handle  it. 

The  "Manchester,"  bought  in  1872,  at  a  cost  of 
^1,635,  is  a  good  hand  engine,  and  still  serviceable. 

On  Nov.  15,  1880,  Mr.  John  Knight's  Tannery  was 
burned.  This  was  a  large  fire  and  threatened  the 
destruction  of  much  adjoining  jjroperty.  It  was  got 
i;nder  control,  however,  before  assistance  arrived  from 
neighboring  towns. 

In  1885,  an  Amoskeag  Steam  Fire-Engine,  the  "  Sea- 
side," was  bought,  costing  $3,000,  and  a  new  company 
formed,  the  old  company  disbanding  May  4,  tendering 
its  records  to  the  Selectmen,  with  a  "  request  that  they 
be  placed  in  the  Vault  of  the  town  for  safe  keeping." 
An  Engine  House  was  built  on  the  Common,  the  pres- 
ent Police  Station.  In  1891,  the  present  commodious 
and  well  equipped  Engine  House  on  School  street  was 
built,  on  the  site  of  the  old  Engine  House  which  was 
moved  to  the  rear  of  Mr.   Samuel  Knio^ht's  residence. 


314  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

A  Chemical  Engine  costing  81,774.50  was  added  to  the 
apparatus  in  1889. 

The  following  information  is  from  the  Report  of  the 
Board  of  Engineers  for  the  year  ending  Feb.  28,  1895. 

Apparatus. 

One  Steamer,  Fourth  class  Amoskeag.  One  Chemical  En- 
gine. One  Hook  and  Ladder  Truck,  containing  a  good  sup- 
ply of  sails,  ropes  and  ladders,  including  one  40-foot  extension 
ladder.  Four  Hose  Carriages.  Four  Ladder  Boxes  in  the 
outlying  sections,  well  supplied  with  ladders.  One  Hand  En- 
gine, not  in  commission. 

Force  of  the  Department. 

One  Chief  and  two  Assistant  Engineers.  One  Engineer, 
one  Fireman  and  Twenty-one  Members,  for  the  Steamer  "Sea- 
side." Ten  Members  for  the  Chemical  Engine.  Eighteen 
Members  for  the  Hook  and  Ladder.  Total  number  of  men  in 
the  Department,  Fifty-four. 

Estimated  value  of  property,  not  including  Reservoirs  or 
Engine  House,  about  $7,500. 

The  material  equipment  of  the  Fire  Department  fifty 
years  ago  would  now  be  considered  cumbrous,  weak 
and  inefficient,  belonging  to  a  crude  and  altogether  un- 
scientific age.^  But,  judged  by  the  list  of  papers  in  its 
reading  room,  and  its  total  abstinence  by-law,  it  must 
be  confessed  that  its  morale  was  high.  There  were,  in 
sooth,  "  Great-hearts  "  in  those  days  to  man  the  brakes 
and  pass  the  buckets.  And  the  Department  was  well 
organized  and  well  disciplmed,  if  the  frequent  adoption 
of  stringent  by-laws,  and  the  significant  action  of  April 
24,  1839,  "Voted,  to  abide  to  our  By-laws,"  —  be  any 
criterion.  Great  as  has  been  the  improvement  in  appa- 
ratus, the    early   firemen    certainly  possessed   personal 

1  Three  buckets  preserved  as  mementoes,  hanging  in  the  Engine  Room, 
and  inscribed  respectively,  Eagle,  1828,  Torkext,  1835,  Franklin,  18G5, 
mark  the  contrast  between  the  appliances  of  a  former  time  and  the  pres- 
ent.   They  are  a  simple  but  picturesque  memorial  of  departed  days. 


APPENDIX    H.  315 

courage,  skill  and  endurance  worthy  of  all  the  praise 
which  they  have  received.  Modern  improvements  have 
been  mainly  in  the  line  of  better  machinery,  of  greater 
variety  and  power  of  equipment,  and  in  the  use  of  horse 
power,  steam  and  electricity.  With  their  simple  and 
meagre  apparatus,  the  firemen  of  forty  or  fifty  years 
ago  performed  feats  of  valor  and  skill,  which  the  men 
of  to-day  will  do  well  to  equal. 

In  the  future  it  will  be  found  that  it  is  in  the  preven- 
tion of  fires  rather  than  the  extinguishing  of  them  that 
the  safety  of  a  community  mainly  consists ;  the  danger 
of  a  general  conflagration  seeming  to  increase  about  in 
proportion  to  the  means  of  arresting  and  subduing  it,  as 
witness  the  "Great  Fires"  of  recent  times.^ 

All  honor  must  be  given  to  the  brave  men  who  spring 
to  duty  at  the  call  of  the  dread  alarum,  who  flinch  not 
amidst  flying  cinders  and  deafening  roar  of  flame,  who 
with  true  knightly  devotion  fling  themselves  into  battle 
with  the  fiercest  of  foes,  who  make  their  own  the 
ancient  devices  of  their  guild,  —  painted  on  buckets  and 
inscribed  on  banners, — 

PRO  BOiJfO  PUBLICO  ; 
SEMPER  PARATUS ; 
NIL    DESPERANDUM. 

1  Great  Fires  and  Fire  Extinction,  by  Gen.  A.  P.  RockweU,  Boston, 

1878. 


APPENDIX   I. 

Some  Old  Books. 

Probably  the  oldest  Bible  in  town,  and  one  of  the 
oldest  in  the  country,  is  in  the  custody  of  the  Historical 
Society.  It  was  "  Imprinted  at  London  by  the  deputies 
of  Christopher  Barker  Printer  to  the  Queenes  most 
Excellent  Majestic,  1599."  It  is  a  good  deal  worn  by 
use  and  by  "the  tooth  of  time  "  ;  the  following  portions 
being  wanting.  Gen.  i-Deut.  xvi,  1  Tim.  iv-Rev.  xxii, 
besides  scattered  leaves  or  parts  of  leaves  here  and 
there.  The  title  page  of  the  New  Testament  is  mostly 
preserved,  giving  the  date.  It  is  a  copy  of  the  Bible 
known  as  the  "Bishops'"  Bible,  translated  in  1563;  it 
contains  marginal  references  and  annotations,  and  each 
book  is  prefixed  by  an  Argument ;  there  are  also  some 
quaint  maps  and  diagrams  of  Ezekiel's  temple.  The  ink 
and  paper  must  have  been  good,  as  the  type  is  still  pei*- 
fectly  clear  and  legible  except  where  greatly  worn  and 
defaced  by  handling. 

Upon  the  blank  leaf  separating  the   Old  and  New 

Testaments  is  the  following  writing,  without  date, " 

sire  of  John  Lee  and  Sarah  - — ee  the  Owners  of  this 
Book  that  it  become  the  Property  of  their  Grandson 
Thomas  Lee  after  their  Decease."  Below  are  the  auto- 
graphs, Thomas  Lee,  Jun"",  and  anna  alien. 

It  is  said  that  this  Bible  was  sent  from  England  by 
John  Lee  to  his  grandson,  Thomas  Lee,  Jr.,  who  was 
born  in  Manchester  in  the  house  now  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  Mrs.  Abby  Baker,^  in  1694,  and  where  he  died 
in  1775.  After  his  death,  the  book  was  in  the  Lee 
family  until  about  sixty-five  years  ago,  when  the  last  of 

1  Henry  Lee  deeded  this  house  to  his  widow,  in  1674;  see  cut,  p.  49. 
317 


318  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

the  family,  who  occupied  the  house  above  referred  to, 
died,  and  it  came  into  possession  of  Dea.  Enoch  Allen,  by- 
purchase  at  auction.  After  Dea.  Allen's  death  in  1845,  his 
daughter  restored  the  volume  to  Mr.  Charles  Lee,  a  de- 
scendant in  direct  line  from  Thomas  Lee,  Jr.  Soon  after 
Mr.  Lee's  death  in  1889,  his  daughter,  Miss  Ella  F.  Lee, 
of  the  seventh  generation  from  John  Lee,  of  England, 
the  original  owner,  presented  it  to  the  Historical  Society 
for  safe  keeping. 

The  book  is  an  interesting  and  valuable  historical 
relic.  It  was  printed  thirty  years  before  the  Landing 
at  Plymouth,  and  was  almost  half  a  century  old  when 
Manchester  received  its  present  name.  For  obvious 
reasons,  copies  of  the  "  Bishops' "  Bible  are  more  sel- 
dom found  in  New  England  than  those  of  the  "  Geneva  " 
translation,  and  of  course  are  much  more  rare  than  old 
copies  of  King  James'  Version.  It  is  of  special  interest 
as  a  book  that  has  been  in  the  possession  of  Manches- 
ter families  for  two  hundred  years,  and  was,  no  doubt, 
in  daily  use  in  the  Lee  family  through  several  genera- 
tions. It  may  have  been  in  the  hands  of  some  of  the 
first  settlers,  and  is  a  memento  to  their  descendants  of 
the  source  from  Avhich  their  religious  faith  and  their 
civic  virtues  took  their  spring. 

Two  old  books  in  the  Town  Library  are  the  Second 
and  Fourth  volumes  of  Matthew  Henry's  Commentai-y. 
They  evidently  belonged  to  diffei'ent  sets.  One  has  the 
autograph  of  Ebenezer  Tapj^an,  1790,  and  very  likely 
was  the  property  of  his  father,  Rev.  Benjamin  Tap|)an, 
who  died  in  that  year.  The  other  was  owned  in  part- 
nership. An  inscription,  very  much  faded,  on  the  in- 
side of  the  cover  shows  how  much  beyond  the  means  of 
most  persons  were  books  of  this  size  and  cost,  and  the 
estimation  in  which  they  were  held.  Tlie  writing  is  in 
a  beautiful  round  hand. 


APPENDIX    I.  319 

Mancb'  14*^  June  1734. 
MeTnorand™ 

That  this  Book  &  the  Rest  of  the  First  Five  Volumes  of  the 
Kev*  ]VP  Henry's  Exposition  upon  the  Holy  Bible,  Together 
with  the  Eev^  M'  Burkit's  Exposition  upon  the  ISTew  Testa- 
ment are  held  in  Partnership  Between  Mess"  N^atli'  Lee 
Benj*    Allen   Nath'  Marsters   Ezekiel   Goodel   Rich:    Coye  & 

Rob'  Herrick  for  the Benefit  of  Themselves  their  Heirs 

Exec"  &  Adm"  Upon  Condition  that  each  Proprietor  shall 
have  the  Use  of  but  one  Book  at  a  Time,  and  not  to  Keep  it 
longer  than  Six  Months ;  and  at  the  End  of  every  Six  Months 
They  are  to  Exchange  them  One  with  another  upon  Demand 
in  a  numerical  Order 

[Here  the  inscription  becomes  illegible.] 

The  book  is  mostly  in  a  good  state  of  preservation, 
and  is  an  interesting  memorial  of  the  intelligence  and 
devout  piety  of  the  "  Proprietors." 

There  are  other  old  books  in  town,  but  few  as  old  or 
as  interesting  as  these. 

Another  volume  may  serve  as  a  sample  of  a  "  world- 
lie  "  book.  For  its  age,  it  is  a  decidedly  handsome  speci- 
men of  the  bookmaking  art.  The  book  is  a  valuable 
one  as  evidence  that  there  was  some  good  learning  in 
Manchester  a  hundred  and  thirty-five  years  ago.  Its 
title,  abbreviated,  is  as  follows :  The  Young  Mathemati- 
cian's Guide ;  Being  a  Plain  and  Easy  Introduction  to 
the  Mathematics.  I.  Arithmetic,  Vulgar  and  Decimal. 
II.  Algebra.  III.  The  Elements  of  Geometry.  TV. 
Conic  Sections.  V.  The  Arithmetic  of  Infinites.  With 
an  Appendix  on  Practical  Gauging.  And  a  Supplement 
on  the  History  of  Logarithms.  By  John  Ward,  Lon- 
don, 1758.  The  title  page  bears  the  name  of  Simeon 
Miller,  in  a  very  ornate  style  of  penmanship,  with  the 
words  ^us  Liber^  and  the  date  Jan.  1,  1760.  Mr.  Mil- 
ler was  a  teacher,  and  lived  on  the  "  Row  "  ;  he  has  no 
direct  descendants  among  us. 


APPENDIX  J. 

Police  Rkgulatioxs. 

Ik  these  times  when  Personal  Liberty  is  placed  by 
many  above  Public  Morals  and  Public  Safety,  some  of 
the  early  town  legislation  would  seem  burdensome  and 
tyrannical  in  the  extreme,  and  would  no  doubt  stir  up  a 
rebellion.  Our  fathers,  however,  believed  in  good  man- 
ners and  self-restraint,  and  found  them  an  excellent 
schooling  and  conducive  to  public  comfort,  respecta- 
bility and  safety. 

In  1808,  it  was  ordered 

That  no  person  or  persons  shall  presume  to  smoke  any  pipe 
or  Segar  in  any  outhouses  or  barns  used  for  hay,  at  any  time, 
or  in  any  of  the  streets  or  lanes  in  this  town,  after  sunset,  and 
that  every  person  offending  against  this  order  shall  forfeit  and 
pay  the  sum  of  two  Dollars.  ^ 

There  was  an  ordinance  forbidding  "Ball,  Stone  or 
Sticks  "  to  be  played  with  a  "  battler  or  club,"  within 
"  Seventy  Yards  of  any  Public  building  or  Dwelling 
house." 

"  Guns  or  pistols  charged  with  ball  or  shoot"  were 
not  to  be  fired  "  within  one  mile  of  the  compact  part  of 
the  town,  in  a  direction  whereby  the  lives  of  any  of 
the  inhabitants  may  be  endangered,  being  in  such  part 
of  the  town." 

Carts  and  carriages  were  not  to  be  driven  "  through 
any  public  highways,  lanes  or  alleys  of  this  town,  but  at 
a  foot  pace  or  common  walk,  nor  without  a  sufficient 

I  Many  years  after  this,  men  who  were  accustomed  to  smoke  regularly, 
never  smoked  on  the  streets ;  it  was  not  considered  "good  form." 

321 


322  HISTORY    OF   MANCBLESTEE. 

driver."  Minute  regulations  were  made  as  to  the  man- 
ner of  driving  horses,  either  by  holding  the  "  thill  or 
hindermost  horse  "  by  a  halter,  or  if  in  a  carriage  by 
"bits  in  the  mouth  .  .  .  with  reins  fastened  in  such 
manner  as  to  give  the  driver  full  command,  etc." 

Stringent  measures  were  also  taken  to  prevent  "  Per- 
sons Behaving  in  a  Rude  and  Disorderly  Manner  "  in 
any  of  the  highways  or  near  any  dwelling  house  in  the 
night  time.     It  was  ordered  that  any  who 

shall  insult  any  Person  within  the  town,  or  be  guilty  of 
rude  or  disorderly  behaviour,  or  use  indecent  or  profane  lang- 
uage in  the  night  time,  to  the  annoyance  or  disturbance  of 
any  of  the  inhabitance,  or  by  cutting  or  defacing  fences  or 
buildings;  shall  forfeit  and  pay  for  every  such  offence,  50 
cents,  to  be  recovered  by  complaint  or  information,  to  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace;  one  moiety  to  the  use  of  the  poor  of  the 
town,  and  the  other  moiety  to  the  use  of  the  constable  or  other 
person  who  shall  inform  and  prosecute  for  the  same. 

We  may  smile  at  such  "  paternal "  government,  but 
we  might  be  better  off  if  we  had  a  little  more  of  it.  It 
is  possible  that  in  some  particulars  our  fathers  were 
sometimes  over-governed.  But  the  children  are  now 
making  up  for  it  by  not  being  governed  at  all. 
Which  is  the  greater  evil  it  needs  no  Solon  to  decide. 
The  most  singular  thing  about  these  old  by-laws  is,  that 
they  were  made  to  he  enforced^  and  not  simjjly  to  adorn 
the  records. 


APPENDIX   K. 

Some  Notabilities. 

Manchester  has  been  the  birthplace  and  home  of 
many  persons,  both  men  and  women,  who  were 
possessed  of  marked  individuality  and  force  of  charac- 
ter. There  was  William  Allex,  ancestor  of  most  of 
the  Aliens  in  Manchester  and  vicinity,  who  came  over 
to  Cape  Ann  in  1624  and  settled  in  Manchester  "  about 
1640  "  ;  one  of  the  first  selectmen,  a  carpenter  who  built 
the  first  frame  house  in  town,  and  "  an  influential  and 

enterprising  citizen." There  was  Benjamin  Allen, 

one  of  the  first  deacons,  serving  from  1716  until  his  death 

in  1747. There  was  Samuel  Allen,  father  of  thirteen 

children,  town  clerk,  selectman  and  merchant,  born  in 

1701. There  was  Capt.  John  Allen,  "  Bos'n  Allen," 

one  of  the  old-time  Yankee  Vikings,  who  built  the  brick 
house  now  owned  and  occupied  by  his  grandson,  Capt. 

John    Allen,    a    lordly    house    in    its    time. There 

were  Capt. "  Ben  "  Allen,  and  the  three  brothers,  John, 

James  and  Samuel,  all  "  noted  shipmasters." There 

was  Malachi  Allen,  2d,  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school 
who  is  described  by  one  who  is  still  living,^  and  who 
worked  for  him  when  a  boy  at  the  "  Cove,"  seventy-one 
years  ago,  as  "  a  man  of  much  dignity  of  character,  of  an 
inquiring  mind,  and  much  interested  in  hearing  about 
foreign  countries ;  always  asked  a  blessing  at  meals ;  he 
was  a  good  man ;  was  about  five  feet,  ten  inches  in 
height,  wore  short  clothes,  had  a  queue,  and  silver 
buckles  on  his  shoes."     He  was  able  to  work  about  his 

1  Cliarles  H.  Allen,  of  Salem,  Mass. 
323 


324  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTEK. 

farm  when  over  eighty  years  of  age,  and  when  eighty- 
nine  "could  cut  up  a  codfish  like  a  young  man."  A  fine 
and  edifying  figure  must  have  faded  out  of  the  land- 
scape, when  he  ceased  to  walk   abroad. There  was 

"  Skipper  "  Preston  of  Newport,  whose  self-conscious- 
ness would  have  done  credit  to  the  quarter-deck  of  a 
frigate,  a  kind  of  self-constituted  tribune  of  the  little 
hamlet ;  a  man  who  was  a  law  to  himself,  as  he  very  plainly 
gave  the  Selectmen  to  understand  when  they  thought 
to  instruct  the  District  as  to  the  duties  of  the  District 

School    Committee.    There    was    John    Dodge,  a 

representative  old-time  "  skipper,"  a  man  of  prodigious 
strength,  who  performed  the  astonishing  feat  of  lifting 
seven  fifty-six-pound  weights  with  his  teeth.  He  knew 
all  the  intricacies  of  the  New  England  coast,  and  could 
make  harbor  in  the  darkest  night  from  the  sound  of  the 
breakers  on  the  different  reefs.     He  was  the  father  of 

Cyrus  Dodge. There  was  Edward  Northet,  who 

lived  at  the  "  Cove  "  and  was  of  the  craft  of  silver- 
smiths, some  of  whose  workmanship  is  in  the  possession 
of  a  descendant  in  the  town,  and  is  highly  valued.  Mr. 
Northey  went  to  New  Hampshire  about  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Revolution.  His  trade  was  one  that  could 
be  carried  on  with  greater  security  away  from  the  sea- 
board.  There  was  'Squire  Colby,  a  kind  of  natural 

"  deemster,"  whose  decisions  according  to  "  common 
statute  law  "  were  as  generally  accepted  without  appeal 
by  litigious  parties  as  were  those  of  higher  legal 
authorities. There  was  Major  Henry  Story,  a  left- 
handed  Benjamite,  of  rather  dubious  maritime  reputa- 
tion, whose  stalwart  form  and  Yankee  spirit  impressed 
the    guards    of    Dartmoor    prison    with    a   wholesome 

1  The  incident  is  given  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  John  Lee,  who  repre- 
sented the  majesty  of  the  town  in  the  rencontre,  and  narrated  it  to  Mr. 
D.  L.  Bingham. 


APPENDIX    K.  325 

respect. There    was  Edward   Lee,  the  fervid  ex- 

horter,  whose  erect  figure  and  white  locks  formed  a 
conspicuous  object  in  the  meeting-house  in  his  later 
years,  as  he  stood  during  the  long  service,  and  whose 
remarkable  foreboding  of  approaching  calamity,  uttered 
upon  his  death-bed  with  "  something  of  prophetic  strain," 
was  thought  by  many  to  have  found  fulfilment  in  the 

"great  sickness." There  was  Major  Lee,  a  man  of 

autocratic  temper,  and  an  owner  of  slaves  when  human 
flesh  and  blood  were  still  bought  and  sold  in  Massachu- 
setts ;  his  house  with  the  slavepens  in  the  attic,  which 
occupied  the  site  of  the  "  Rabardy  Building,"  surviving 

its  imperious   owner   almost  a  century. There  was 

"  Goodman "  Babcock,  the  tything-man,  a  grizzly 
veteran  of  Valley  Forge,  whose  duty  it  was  to  watch 
over  the  youths  of  "  disorderly  carriage,"  and  see  that 
they  "behave  themselves  comely";  and  whose  austere 
demeanor,  stately  tread  and  staff  of  oflice  made  an  im- 
pressive figure  in  the  Sunday  assembly,  where  he 
seemed  to  embody  in  his  person  the  combined  authority 

of  Church  and  State.  ^ There  was  Axdrew  Lee,  a 

notable  character.  Originally  an  ardent  Universalist, 
he  became  later  in  life  an  equally  earnest  disciple  of 
evangelical  religion.  He  was  a  man  greatly  esteemed 
for  his  integrity  and  his  benevolent  disposition.  His 
love  for  the  Sunday  school  and  his  love  of  children 
were  prominent  characteristics  to  the  very  last.  His 
life  was  written  by  his  pastor.  Rev.  O.  A.  Taylor,  and 
published  by  the  Massachusetts  Sunday  School  Society. 
There  was    Mrs.     (Samples)     Craft,   who   when 

1  Many  amusing  anecdotes  are  told  of  this  village  beadle's  pompous 
ways  and  eccentric  manners.  One  of  onr  most  respected  aged  citizens 
■well  remembers  the  terror  struck  into  his  heart  as  a  small  boy  when  de- 
tected in  some  childish  prank,  by  the  stern  official  pointing  his  finger  at 
him  and  calling  out  in  stentorian  voice,  "  I  see  you,  serving  the  devil,  in 
the  Lord's  house." 


326  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

Boston  was  invested  by  the  British,  made  a  journey 
there  on  foot,  eluded  the  sentries,  procured  a  supply  of 
pins  and  needles,  of  which  there  was  a  distressful  need, 
and  made  her  way  home  to  the  great  joy  of  the  house- 
wives who  had  been   using  thorns  for  pins,  and  whose 

stock  of   needles   had   become   wholly   exhausted. 

There  was  "  Aunt "  Martha  Lee,   a  kind  of  spiritual 

authority    and    "mother    in    Israel." There      was 

"Mother"  Dodge,  a  woman  who  bore  her  testimony  on, 
all  occasions,  with  most  unconventional  freedom,  often 
supplementing  the  sermon  with  her  exhortation,  a  kind 
of  modern  prophetess. 

The  sketches  which  follow  are  selected  mainly  because  the 
materials  were  more  accessible,  or  because  the  subjects  were 
of  a  somewhat  representative  character. 

The  experience  of  Nathaniel  Allen,  known  as 
"  Sailmaker  Allen,"  one  of  Manchester's  sea-rovers, 
illustrates  the  adage,  that  "  truth  is  stranger  than  fic- 
tion." He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution,  crossed  the 
Delaware  with  Washington,  was  in  the  battles  of  Tren- 
ton and  Princeton,  and  in  other  hard-fought  conflicts, 
was  taken  prisoner,  and  kept  for  a  time  by  a  band  of 
Indians,  of  whom  he  learned  the  art  of  making  birch 
canoes,  baskets,  etc.  After  his  release,  he  returned  to 
seafaring  life.  In  October,  1780,  he  shipped  on  the 
schooner  "America,"  bound  to  the  West  Indies.  On 
the  return  passage,  December  31,  they  encountered  a 
violent  gale,  and  lost  sails,  bowsj^rit  and  rudder.  In 
this  disabled  condition,  they  had  for  two  months  a  suc- 
cession of  heavy  winds  and  seas,  and  drifted  helplessly 
up  and  down  the  Atlantic.  For  two  hunched  a7id  sixty- 
one  days,  these  men  were  at  the  mercy  of  the  stormy 
waves,  at  times  reduced  almost  to  the  last  mouthful 
and  the  last  drop  of  water,  when  they  were  rescued, 
and  carried  into  New  York  ;  they  finally  reached  home, 


APPENDIX    K.  327 

SO  emaciated  that  they  were  scarcely  recognized  by 
their  friends  who  had  long  since  given  them  up  for  lost. 
Benjamix  Craft,  who  was  at  the  siege  of  Louisbnrg, 
kept  a  journal  of  the  expedition,  showing  a  keen  obser- 
vation and  a  devout  spirit.  He  wrote  many  letters  to 
his  wife  also  which  show  the  religious  character  and 
loving  disjDosition  of  the  man.  The  following  will 
serve  as  a  specimen  of  his  correspondence : 

Dear  Wife  :  We  came  out  of  Boston  last  Sabatli  Day  fifty- 
odd  Sail  of  us,  &  stood  off  to  sea  that  night.  The  wind  came 
against  us  &  we  put  in  again.  At  night  we  got  close  in  to 
Cape  Ann,  but  ye  wind  dying  away  we  were  obliged  to  stand 
off  to  sea  &  a  Tuesday  we  arrived  in  Sheepscott  .  .  .  Remem- 
ber me  to  Mr.  Choate  &  his  family  &  to  Brother  Eleazer  and 
to  all  our  friends  &  tell  them  I  desire  &  beg  their  prayers  to 
God  for  me  —  Stephen  Low  William  Allen  &  .Joseph  Emerton 
remember  their  love  to  their  wives  &  families  .  .  .  Dear 
Wife  I  recommend  you  to  heavens  care  ct  keeping.  Begging 
your  prayers  for  me  I  subscribe  your  loving  husband  till 
death.  Benja.  Craft. 

LouiSBURG  ye  13th  October  1745. 
Dear  &  Loving  Wife, 

Having  an  opertunity  by  the  providence  of  God  to  write  to 
send  /ou  a  few  lines  to  let  you  know  my  circumstances.  I 
have  been  sick  for  about  eight  weeks  past  but  blessed  be  God 
I  have  not  been  so  bad  as  to  keep  my  bed,  but  I  am  pined 
away  to  nothing  but  skin  &  bones  ...  If  I  should  not  come 
home  this  winter  I  believe  that  ye  Captain  &  Lieut.  Gidding 
will  be  discharged  by  whom  I  shall  send,  If  I  cannot  get  dis- 
charged, so  that  you  may  receive  my  wages,  which  will  be  be- 
tween forty  &  fifty  pounds  —  I  am  in  very  good  business  & 
have  been  for  a  month  past  having  ye  care  of  the  Commisary 
Business  for  our  Regiment  beside  what  I  do  for  others,  which 
is  a  considerable  income,  not  less  than  fifteen  shillings  a  day, 
beside  my  wages  ...  If  I  should  tarry  all  winter  I  believe  I 
shall  be  in  good  Business  for  I  am  in  considerable  favour  with 
several  of  the  great  men,  &  which  way  it  came  I  know  not  — 
but  there  is  nothing  is  any  temptation  to  me  I  long  so  much 
to  get  home  to  see  you  &  my  poor  children  &  dear  friends  .  .  . 

Ben.ia.  Craft. 


328  HISTOFvY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Mr,  Craft  was  also  second  lieutenant  in  Capt.  Benj, 
Kimball's  Company,  of  the  lOtli  Regiment,  at  the  Siege 
of  Boston,  and  was  in  camp  at  Winter  Hill.  He  kept  a 
Journal  from  June  15  to  Nov.  16,  1775.  It  is  published 
in  the  Essex  Institute  History  Collection,  vol.  I,  Nos. 
2,  3,  4,  5.  He  received  his  discharge,  Nov.  11,  1775, 
on  the  ground  that  "  his  wife  and  family  being  situated 
in  a  seaport  town  [were]  consequently  much  exposed  to 
danger  from  the  enemy." 

Eleazar  Craft,  brother  of  Benjamin,  served 
throughout  the  Avar  of  the  Revolution.  He  was  a 
lieutenant  at  the  time  of  the  Lexington  alarm,  and  was 
afterward  engaged  in  many  battles.  He  rose  to  the 
rank  of  major  of  the  Cape  Ann  and  Manchester  Brigade 
in  1777,  and  the  next  yeai-  was  commissioned  as  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, his  commission  bearing  date  of  12  Aug. 
1778.  He  was  in  the  army  under  General  Gates,  when 
Burgoyne  surrendered  his  forces.  He  kept  a  journal 
throughout  the  entire  war,  but  all  that  has  been  pre- 
served of  it  is  the  portion  printed  in  the  Historical  Col- 
lection of  the  Essex  Institute  of  Salem,  Mass.,  from  9 
Sept.,  1777,  to  1  Dec,  1777,  vol.  VI,  pp.  181-194. 

EzEKiEL  Cheever,  son  of  Rev.  Ames  Cheever,  was 
born  in  1741.  He  was  noted  for  his  "  integrity,  strong 
religious  convictions,  phenomenal  memory  and  extreme 
gentleness."  He  was  wont  to  restore  to  their  native 
element  any  fish  that  were  caught  on  the  hook  other- 
wise than  by  the  mouth,  addressing  them  in  this  fashion, 
"  You  are  the  victim  of  an  accident ;  I  cannot  claim 
you  ;  go  in  peace."  This  gentle  discij^le  of  Izaak  Wal- 
ton never  deviated  from  a  fixed  price  ;  an  advance  in 
the  market  made  no  difference  with  him.  One  day,  as 
he  was  returning  from  fishing,  while  crossing  "  Smith's 
point,"    a    dangerous    bull    charged    upon    him    "  with 


APPENDIX   K.  329 

mighty  bellowing " ;  whereat  Mr.  Cheever  calmly  sat 
down  on  his  barrow,  and  addressed  the  angry  bovine 
with  such  an  impressive  array  of  Scripture  texts,  that 
after  pawing  the  earth  awhile  and  sniffing  at  the  bar- 
row, the  infuriated  but  perplexed  beast  withdrew  with  a 
crestfallen  air. 

Samuel  Lee,  a  man  of  considerable  note  in  his  day, 
had  many  grievances  against  the  town,  of  which  record 
remains  in  various  communications,  drawn  up  with  a 
good  deal  of  care  and  forcibly  worded,  and  signed  with 
a  flourish  and  in  a  bold  hand,  "  Sirs,  yo''  most  Humble 
&  Devoted  Serv'  Sam^^  Lee." 

One  of  these  papers,  dated  11  March,  1771,  and  ad- 
dressed to  the  "  Moodrator  of  y*"  Annuel  Town  Meet- 
ing," is  a  vigorous  protest  against  "  granting  any  Parson 
or  Parsons  Liberty  of  Erecting  Hors  Houses,  or  Shedds 
any  Whare  adjoyning  on  any  of  my  Lands." 

One  dated  13  March,  1779,  addressed  to  the  "Inhaby- 
tence  of  the  Town  of  Manchester,"  declares  his  belief 
that  "  Turkish  Laws  are  Much  Preffarable  &  Juster  then 
the  Assessors  conduct  in  Manchester  at  Present  is  " ;  he 
advises  "those  that  can  Watch  and  Ward  to  Look  out 
for  themselves  and  others  ;  or  I  think  the  Town  is 
Ruend."  He  signs  himself,  "  an  Abusd,  and  imposed 
uj^on,  Inhabitent  of  Manchester."  This  wrathful  com- 
munication was  "  to  be  Exhibited  to  the  Inhabytenc  of 
s^^  Town,  before  your  Choyce  of  Town  Officers." 

In  1779,  Mr.  Lee  asked  for  an  abatement  of  Taxes, 
representing  that  the  assessment  of  his  real  estate  was 
unfair  as  compared  with  that  of  "  Decon  Herrick  and 
Mr.  Chever  "  ;  and  says  "  if  my  tilling,  moing  &  Par- 
string,  must  be  sot  so  much  hier  then  My  Neighbeours, 

for  the &  Butter  &  Cheas  I  have  for  Winter  &c,  I 

hope  those  that  have  any  by  them.  May  be  taxt  Allso  ; 


330  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

and  for  there  Tea,  Cofey,  Shugers,  Cyder,  flower,  "Wines, 
Porters ;  and  all  other  Articuls  Used  in  a  Luxures  Way 
of  Living ;  letts  all  fare  alike  in  taxation,  and  then  I 
am  Content  to  be  Pointed  at,"  etc.  He  has  another 
grievance  :  "  Is  not  Brothers  Ware  Hous  With  2  fire 
places  Glass  &  Suller,  &  Claborded  &c  Worth  more 
than  £5  More  than  my  Barn ;  I  thinke  my  Barn  is  two 
high,  or  his  too  Low,  or  Both." 

A  copy  of  a  note  to  the  Assessors  is  appended : 
"  Gent'",  I  ame  at  the  Jenerall  good,  of  the  Town  and 
itts  Inhabitence  ;  &  my  one  Presarvation,  by  all  these 
Papers,  to  lett  you  know  thatt  allmost  Every  Man,  that 
keepts  any  stock,  or  had  any  Corn,  his  been  taxt  three 
times  over ;  and  ought  to  be  abated,  by  a  Vote  of  the 
Town  ;  or  other  Wayes,  according  to  my  Judgment." 

Truly,  the  town  meetings  of  those  days  were  not 
without  their  occasional  spice,  and  a  town  office  was  not 
always  a  bed  of  roses  for  its  incumbent. 

William  Tuck  was  born  in  Beverly,  July  5,  1741, 
and  removed  to  Manchester  in  1760.  In  1777,  he  com- 
manded the  "  Remington,"  privateer,  eighteen  guns, 
and  took  many  prizes  ;  he  was  afterward  captured  by  a 
British  frigate,  but  by  a  successful  piece  of  strategy  the 
vessel  was  retaken  from  the  prize-crew,  and  brought 
into  Boston  Harbor.^  Mr.  Tuck  was  second  Collector 
of  the  Gloucester  district,  holding  the  office  from  1796 
to  1802.  He  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Man- 
chester, where  he  filled  the  position  of  Justice  of  the 
Peace,  and  also  practised  medicine  "  very  successfully." 
'Squire  Tuck,  as  he  was  generally  called,  was  a  public- 
spirited  man,  interested  in  all  improvements.  He  was  a 
man  of  great  energy  ;  as  one  of  the  Commissioners  at 
the  time   of  the    building  of  the  first  bridge  between 

1   Vide  p.  85. 


^  r^' 


<>' 


e.^.'^^-r^         ^,  c^^  ^.^ 


'J>^    ^^      ^S.^l^lc 


(331) 


APPENDIX    K.  331 

Beverly  and  Salem,  he  rode  on  horseback,  on  the  cold- 
est day  in  winter,  from  Manchester  to  Boston,  leaving 
home  before  daylight.  He  had  four  wives,  and  was  the 
father  of  twenty-three  children,  fourteen  of  whom  lived 
to  years  of  maturity.  He  died  March,  1826,  in  the 
eighty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

Ebenezer  Tappan,  son  of  Rev.  Benjamin  Tappan, 
kept  a  store  on  Central  street.  He  was  the  father  of  a 
remarkable  family.  If  one  came  into  his  store  and  in- 
quired for  his  son,  Mr.  Tappan  would  say :  "  Which 
son?  Do  vou  want  Colonel  Eben,  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Israel,  Major  Ben,  or  Captain  Sam?"  Mr.  Tappan  was 
one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  in  the  town  who  gave  up 
the  sale  of  liquor,  and  this  at  a  time  when  the  trafiic 
was  perfectly  reputable.  So  profound  was  his  convic- 
tion of  the  evil  of  the  business  that  he  destroyed  even 
the  measures  that  he  had  used  in  dealing  out  the  bever- 
age to  his  customers.  He  was  very  scrupulous  in  his 
dealings,  and  a  great  practical  joker.  Many  stories  are 
told  of  the  old  gentleman's  eccentricities.  We  can  pic- 
ture him  as  a  man  straightforward  and  fearless,  sanguine 
and  hilarious  ;  in  bodily  presence 

"  a  man  of  glee, 
With  hair  of  glittering  grey; 
As  blitlie  a  man  as  you  could  see 
On  a  spring  holiday." 

Eben  Tappan,  son  of  the  above,  began  his  business 
career  with  his  father  in  the  mercantile  line,  and  in 
building  and  employing  vessels  in  the  coasting  trade. 
He  afterward  became  a  manufacturer  of  furniture  and 
of  ships'  steering-wheels.  He  became  well  known, 
also,  as  a  builder  of  fire-engines.  ^  He  was  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  in  1843  and  1844.     In  1818  he  was 

I  Vide  p.  311. 


332  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Colonel  of  a  Regiment  of  Militia  composed  of  Beverly 
and  Manchester  men. 

Dea.  Delucena  L.  Bixgham,  a  native  of  Canterbui-y, 
Conn.,  came  to  Manchester  to  teach  school,  in  1785. 
He  was  then  nineteen  years  of  age.  He  afterward 
filled  many  town  offices  :  was  Town  Clerk  twenty-nine 
years,  Representative  to  the  General  Court  in  1824, 
the  first  Postmaster  of  the  town,  holding  the  office  for 
thirty-four  years,  and  a  deacon  of  the  church  for  thirty- 
two  years.  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson,  his  pastor,  wrote  of  him 
shortly  after  his  death,  which  occurred  Oct.  25,  1837: 
"  His  religion  boi-e  the  stamp  of  a  mind  of  something 
more  than  ordinary  intellectual  endowment;  to  this  was 
added  a  cheerfulness  blended  and  softened  with  humil- 
ity. No  man  more  conscientiously  avoided  saying  or 
doing  anything  that  would  engender  strife  among 
neighbors."  He  was  a  man  of  marked  character,  and 
left  an  influence  in  the  community  which  showed  that 
his  life  had  been  a  blessing  and  that  his  death  was  a 
public  bereavement. 

Captain  Richard  Trask  commenced  his  seafaring  life 
by  a  voyage  to  the  Grand  Banks  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years.  He  subsequently  entered  the  merchant  service, 
and  rapidly  rose  until  he  obtained  command  of  a  ship, 
the  "Adriatic "of  Boston.  He  had  few  op2:)ortunities  of 
early  education,  but  having  an  active  mind  and  an  in- 
domitable will,  he  made  headway  against  wind  and  tide, 
and  became  one  of  the  most  successful  shipmasters  of 
his  time.  In  1828,  he  became  connected  with  Enoch 
Train  &  Co.,  in  the  Russia  trade.  He  commanded 
some  of  their  best  vessels  and  had  an  interest  in  the 
business.  In  1839,  the  Company  built  the  "  St.  Peters- 
burg," a  ship  of  eight  hundred  and  sixty  tons,  the  largest 
merchant  ship   that  had  been  built  in   Massachusetts. 


.^^^^2^ 


^i^^ 


/lyt^^ 


(333) 


APPENDIX    K. 


333 


Her  size,  carrying  capacity  and  furnishings,  including 
costly  woods,  cut  glass  and  silver  ware,  attracted  atten- 
tion even  in  European  ports.  Capt.  Trask  made  his 
last  voyages  in  this  vessel.  He  retired  from  the  sea 
about  1844,  and  died  at  his  home  in  Manchester,  Aug. 
6,  1846,  in  the  fifty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

Captain  Thomas  Leach  was  born  in  Manchester  in 
1807.  His  father  was  a  noted  mariner  who  had  sailed 
in  the  employ  of  William  Gray.  Young  Leach  was 
bred  to  the  ocean  from  boyhood.  His  father  intending 
to  make  him  a  first-class  sailor,  the  discipline  of  ship- 
board was  never  relaxed  in  his  favor.  In  1832,  he  be- 
came Captain  of  the  brig  "  Oregon,"  and  made  success- 
ful voyages  for  many  years  to  Russia,  China,  and  many 
other  ports.  For  fifty-one  years,  his  home  was  on  the 
ocean  wave.  He  had  many  adventures  and  some  mar- 
vellous escapes.  These  he  was  fond  of  recounting  to 
sympathetic  hearers,  and  could  tell  a  story  with  a  good 
deal  of  humor.  One  of  his  thrilling  experiences  is 
narrated  in  substance  as  follows :  On  one  of  his  East 
Indian  voyages,  Capt.  Leach  sighted  one  day  a  suspic- 
ious craft,  which  proved  to  be  a  i^i'oa-,  crowded  with 
bloodthirsty  Malays ;  the  pirates  with  their  sweeps  soon 
overhauled  him,  but  when  almost  within  range,  seeing 
the  warlike  appearance  of  the  ship  with  its  mounted 
cannon  and  its  crew  armed  with  cutlasses,  prudently 
hauled  off  and  left  the  brave  Yankee  skipper  to  pursue 
his  homeward  voyage  in  peace. 

His  last  active  service  was  as  Port  Warden  of  Bos- 
ton, an  oftice  which  he  held  for  twelve  years,  until  fail- 
ing health  compelled  his  retirement.  Captain  Leach 
was  a  vigorous,  self-reliant,  self-made  man,  of  cheerful 
temperament  and  kindly  disposition.  Few  men  better 
fitted  for  the  position  ever  trod  the  quarter-deck,  or  in 


334  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

their  own  community  received  more  universally  the  re- 
spect of  their  fellow-citizens.  He  died,  in  the  house  in 
which  he  was  born,  Dec.  5,  1886. 

Capt.  John  Carter  began  his  profession  in  the  fish- 
ing fleet  at  the  age  of  fom-teen.  He  soon  shipped  on  a 
merchantman,  was  mate  at  twenty-two,  and  at  twenty- 
seven  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy ;  he  was  almost  con- 
stantly afloat,  either  on  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  or  the 
Pacific,  until  he  was  sixty-five  years  old,  when  he  re- 
tired to  his  home  and  well-earned  rest.  Like  the  two 
above  mentioned,  Captain  Carter's  success  was  the  re- 
sult of  patient  industry  and  unremitting  attention  to  his 
duties.  In  a  serene  and  peaceful  old  age,  Capt.  Carter 
lives  surrounded  by  children,  grandchildren  and  neigh- 
bors, who  love  and  respect  him  for  his  sterling  worth. 
He  is  waiting  in  calmness  his  orders  to  sail  for  the  Un- 
seen Port. 

John  Perry  Allen  has  already  been  noticed  in  the 
account  of  the  Cabinet-making,  of  which  he  might 
almost  have  said  "  all  of  which  I  saw  and  a  great  part 
of  which  I  was."  Mr.  Allen  was  a  man  of  great  force 
of  character  and  executive  ability,  and  had  great  in- 
fluence in  town  affairs.  While  not  a  man'  of  liberal 
education,  he  was  a  forceful  speaker  and  his  impressive 
bearing  added  power  to  his  speech.  Few  men  have 
done  more  for  the  business  interests  of  the  i)lace,  or 
manifested  a  more  marked  ingenuity  or  a  more  indomi- 
table i^luck  in  overcoming  adverse  circumstances.  His 
name  is  a  name  to  conjure  with  to  the  present  day. 

Larkin  Woodberry  was  not  a  native  of  Manchester, 
but  the  town  has  had  few  citizens  of  whom  it  has  had 
more  reason  to  be  proud.  He  was  at  one  time  an  ex- 
tensive manufacturer,  but  he  met  with  reverses  in  busi- 
ness, adding  another  to  the  long  list  of  excellent  men 


APPENDIX    K.  335 

who  are  not  successful  in  life  from  a  material  and  finan- 
cial point  of  view.  Mr.  Woodberry  was  a  man  of  ster- 
ling character,  a  strong  temperance  man,  a  warm  friend 
of  education,  and  a  leader  in  the  Anti-Slavery  ranks. 
He  was  one  of  the  originators  and  strongest  supporters 
of  the  Lyceum,  and  though  never  seeking  office,  his 
opinion  on  public  matters  always  carried  weight. 
Many  men  have  brought  the  wealth  of  gold  and  silver 
to  the  town,  of  whom  nothing  more  can  be  said.  Mr. 
Woodberry  brought  to  it  the  wealth  of  brains,  charac- 
ter and  life. 

Dr.  Asa  Story  was  one  of  "  Nature's  noblemen." 
He  was  for  many  years  not  only  the  physician  of  the 
town  ^,  but  also  one  of  its  most  public-spirited  citizens. 
He  was  a  man  of  large  calibre,  and  one  who  did  with 
his  might  what  his  hands  found  to  do.  His  character 
had  in  it  a  "  strain  of  rareness."  Dr.  Story  was  born  in 
Essex,  July  20,  1796.  While  working  in  his  father's 
saw-mill,  he  was  in  the  habit  of  studying  evenings  and 
nights,  walking  three  miles  on  every  alternate  evening 
to  recite.  He  graduated  at  Dartmoutii  College,  where 
he  also  studied  medicine  and  received  his  medical  de- 
gree. After  spending  one  year  in  Washington,  D.  C, 
he  came  to  Manchester,  well-equipped  for  his  life  work. 
He  was  a  man  of  great  integrity,  honor,  and  benevolence 
of  disposition.  He  never  refused  though  at  the  cost  of 
great  personal  inconvenience  to  respond  to  calls  upon  his 
service,  even  from  those  from  whom  he  could  expect  no 
remuneration.  His  son,  Charles  R.  Story  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, remembers  that  when  he  was  a  boy,  Tiis  father 
was  called  up  one  winter  night  and  was  obliged  to  climb 

1  Dr.  David  A.  Grosvenor  preci;cled  Dr.  Story,  from  1810  to  1820.  Dr. 
Lakeman  was  here  from  1801,  for  some  years;  before  him  were  Drs.  Nor- 
wood and  Whipple.  See  Index.  There  is  very  scanty  knowledge  of  the 
earlier  physicians. 


336  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

in  by  the  barn  window  to  get  a  shovel  to  remove  the 
drifted  snow,  in  order  to  get  his  horse  out,  then  riding 
to  a  distant  part  of  the  town  to  see  a  patient  who 
ah-eady  owed  him  a  bill  for  attendance  and  was  never 
likely  to  pay  a  cent.  Dr.  Story  has  left  no  family  in 
town,  but  his  name  is  held  in  honor  among  us. 

Obed  Carter  was  a  man  of  somewhat  eccentric 
traits  of  chai-acter,  Avho  served  the  town  as  Treasurer 
through  more  than  a  generation.  Some  amusing  stories 
are  told,  which  illustrate  equally  his  simplicity,  his 
primitive  method  of  keeping  his  accounts  with  the  town, 
and  his  unimpeachable  honesty.  In  1846,  the  following 
Resolution,  offered  by  Jonathan  Hassam,  was  adopted 
by  the  town : 

Eesolved,  That  Obed  Carter,  Esq'  is  justly  entitled  to,  and 
should  receive  a  vote  of  thanks  of  the  citizens  of  Manchester 
for  the  faithful  Zealous  and  Honourable  Discharge  of  the  ar- 
duous duties  devolved  on  him  in  the  Treasury  Department  for 
Forty  years  and  upwards. 

It  is  worth  recording  as  one  of  the  humors  of  the 
time,  that  the  Moderator  would  often  say  when  the  polls 
were  open,  "  Gentlemen,  bring  in  your  votes  for  Obed 
Carter  for  Treasurer  "  ;  and,  a  few  votes  having  been 
cast,  would  declare  the  polls  closed.  Those  were  days 
when  office  sought  the  man,  and  not  the  man  the  office. 

Israel  FoRSXERwas  born  May  28,  1779.  He  studied 
at  Phillips  Academy,  Andover.  He  was  selectman  for 
many  years  and  had  great  influence  in  the  town.  He 
built  a  grist-mill  on  the  site  of  the  old  Bennett  mill 
property,  introducing  all  the  improvements  known ; 
adjoining  the  mill,  he  built  a  wharf,  warehouses,  and 
flakes  for  drying  flsh.  He  gained  the  reputation  of  cur- 
ing fish  better  than  most  of  his  competitors,  and  thus  es- 
tablished a  large  business.     With  his  brother,  he  built  a 


APPENDIX   K.  337 

schooner  of  one  hundred  tons  for  the  Grand  Banks  fish- 
eries. Mr.  Forster  was  much  interested  in  military  affairs, 
and  was  Major  of  the  Militia  in  1812.  He  represented 
the  town  in  the  Legislature  in  1810  and  in  1836.  His 
residence,  built  in  1804,  remains  as  an  excellent  speci- 
men of  the  architecture  of  the  early  part  of  the  century ; 
it  was  known  for  many  years  as  the  summer  home  of 
his  grandson,  George  C.  Leach  of  Boston. 

EzEKiEL  W.  Leach  was  born  in  Manchester,  July  1, 
1809.  He  received  his  collegiate  training  at  Amherst, 
and  studied  medicine  with  Dr.  George  S.  Shattuck  of 
Boston,  taking  his  medical  degree  in  1835.  Soon  after 
commencing  his  medical  practice  in  Boston  he  united 
with  the  Baldwin  Place  BajDtist  Church,  during  the  min- 
istry of  the  eminent  Baron  Stow.  He  was  very  active 
in  church  and  educational  matters,  and  held  several 
offices.  He  served  the  city  in  the  Legislature  in  1839 
and  1840;  and  was  again  elected  in  1841,  but  from  ill- 
ness was  obliged  to  resign.  Dr.  Leach  was  never  a  man 
of  robust  health,  and  a  change  to  a  milder  climate  being 
deemed  advisable,  he  went  South,  and  afterward  took 
passage  from  Savannah  to  Havre,  dying  on  the  passage, 
at  the  age  of  thirty-three.  He  was  a  man  universally 
respected  and  loved.  For  many  years  Dr.  Leach  inter- 
ested himself  in  the  history  of  the  town,  and  left 
at  his  death  a  large  collection  of  materials  in  manu- 
script, which  is  deposited  in  the  Library  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Historical  Society. 

Mrs.  Abigail  Hooper  Trask.  —  Widow  of  Capt. 
Richard  Trask ;  she  was  the  oldest  resident  of  Manches- 
ter at  the  time  of  her  death,  March  3,  1885,  being  of 
the  age  of  ninety-six  years  and  five  months.  In  her 
prime  there  was  probably  not  a  person  in  town  who  ex- 
celled her  in  business  capacity.     She  kept  herself  in 


338  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

touch  with  the  present  in  a  remarkable  manner,  and 
maintained  up  to  her  last  illness  a  regular  correspond- 
ence. She  was  one  of  the  "  chief  women  "  of  Manches- 
ter, and  one  whom  convention  could  not  keep  down. 

Lewis  N.  Tappan,  son  of  Col.  Eben  Tappan,  was 
born  June  25,  1831.  Mr.  Tappan  was  in  business  some 
years  in  Boston.  In  1857,  he  went  to  Kansas,  and  was 
Secretary  of  the  Senate  under  the  Topeka  Constitution. 
He  was  one  of  the  Fort  Scott  Treaty  Commissioners, 
and  one  of  the  fifteen  armed  men  who  cajDtured  the  box 
containing  the  altered  election  returns  at  Lecompton.^ 
The  discovery  of  this  fraud  resulted  in  the  overthrow  of 
the  Pro-Slavery  party  in  Kansas.  Those  were  perilous 
times,  and  they  called  for  brave  and  resolute  men,  who 
could  well  claim  to  be  the  advance  guard  of  liberty ; 
men  who  could  say, 

"  We  tread  the  prairie  as  of  old 

Our  fatliers  sailed  the  sea, 
And  make  the  West,  as  they  the  East, 

The  homestead  of  the  free." 

In  1859,  Mr.  Tappan  joined  the  Colorado  pioneers, 
was  a  member  of  the  first  city  government  at  Denver, 
a  member  of  Governor  Gilpin's  Council,  and  one  of 
Governor  Cummings'  staff.  He  organized  the  first  Sun- 
day school  in  Colorado,  started  the  first  smelting-works, 
and  opened  the  first  store  in  the  territory.  Retui-ning 
to  Manchester,  Mr.  Tappan  was  elected  to  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1877.  He  was  a  man  of  public  spirit,  conscien- 
tiousness and  integrity,  and  was  much  respected  by  his 
fellow  citizens.  He  was  identified  with  the  interests  of 
the  Baptist  church  while  he  was  a  resident  in  town. 
His  death  occurred  on  the  25th  of  February,  1880,  in 
the  forty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

1  American  Commonwealths;  Kansas,  p.  229. 


APPENDIX    K.  339 

Samuel  Foester  Tappan  was  born  June  29,  1831. 
He  learned  the  chairmaker's  trade,  but  afterward  went 
into  business  in  Boston.  In  1854,  he  went  to  Kansas 
with  the  earliest  company  of  emigrants  from  Massachu- 
setts, and  located  on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Law- 
rence. Later  in  the  same  year,  a  city  government  was 
organized,  and  Mr.  Tappan  was  elected  Alderman.  The 
"  Border  Ruffians  "  were  at  this  time  carrying  elections 
by  fraud  and  force,  and  mobbing  and  murdering  gener- 
ally. Mr.  Tapi^an  was  one  of  a  determined  band  who 
saved  Kansas  for  Freedom.  He  canvassed  Southern 
and  Western  Kansas,  was  Secretary  of  the  House  of 
Representatives  and  acting  Speaker  when  it  was  dis- 
persed by  United  States  troops  under  orders  from  the 
Pro-Slavery  administration,  was  Clerk  of  the  House  in 
1856,  Secretary  of  the  two  Constitutional  Conventions, 
and  active  in  the  whole  struggle  that  resulted  in  driving 
out  the  myrmidons  of  Slavery  and  enrolling  Kansas 
among  the  Free  States. 

In  1860,  Mr.  Tappan  removed  to  Colorado,  and  the 
next  year  was  commissioned  Captain  in  the  First  Colo- 
rado Volunteers.  After  seeing  active  service  in  break- 
ing up  a  gang  of  desperadoes  that  terrorized  the  settle- 
ments, and  receiving  severe  wounds  afterward  at  the 
hands  of  some  of  the  outlaws,  he  was  promoted  as  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel,  and  instructed  to  increase  his  command 
to  a  full  regiment.  In  1861  and  '62,  Colonel  Tappan 
rendered  most  efficient  service  in  holding  Colorado  for 
the  Union,  and  Avith  the  aid  of  some  Regulars  and  other 
Volunteers  driving  the  rebels  from  Utah  and  New  Mex- 
ico. The  plan  of  cutting  off  the  Pacific  coast  from  the 
Union  was  thus  thwarted.  The  regiment  was  subse- 
quently mounted,  and  during  the  rest  of  the  War  held 
the  frontier  against  Indian  attacks  and  rebel  raids,  Mr. 
Tappan  having  the  rank  of  Colonel.     Mr.  Tappan  has 


340  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

since  served  on  the  Indian  Peace  Commission,  and  also 
as  Superintendent  of  an  Indian  Industrial  School  in 
Nebraska.  His  life  has  been  largely  given  to  securing 
freedom  for  the  black  man,  and  equal  rights  for  the 
Indian.     He  now  resides  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

Henry  C.  Leach,  son  of  Benjamin  Leach,  Avas  born 
Oct.  9,  1832.  His  home  was  in  St.  Louis  from  1855  to 
1861,  spending  the  summers  of  1856  and  '57  in  Kansas 
and  aiding  in  the  early  contest  in  that  Territory  for  free 
soil.  He  was  active  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  as 
a  member  of  a  military  organization,  the  object  of  which 
was  to  hold  Missouri  in  the  Union.  In  1863,  Mr.  Leach 
removed  to  Colorado,  and  went  into  business  at  Den- 
ver. He  was  elected  to  the  Territorial  Council  in  1865, 
serving  two  years,  and  was  President  of  the  body.  This 
was  before  the  days  of  the  Pacific  Railroad,  and  Colo- 
rado was  separated  from  the  East  by  600  miles  of  track- 
less plains.  To  the  North  was  an  unexplored  wilder- 
ness, inhabited  by  Indian  tribes  with  whom  the  pioneers 
were  compelled  to  carry  on  a  harassing  border  warfare. 
In  1865,  a  Constitution  was  adopted  at  an  irregular  elec- 
tion which  was  obnoxious  to  a  majority  of  the  citizens. 
Mr.  Leach  and  Col.  Samuel  F.  Tappan  spent  the  winter 
in  Washington,  and  succeeded  by  enlisting  the  interest 
of  Charles  Sumner  and  others  in  securing  the  rejection 
of  the  Bill  for  the  admission  of  Colorado.  The  time 
was  one  of  intense  political  excitement,  not  unmingled 
with  personal  peril  at  times  to  the  actors.  Mob  law  was 
often  in  the  ascendant,  and  "  Judge  Lynch  "  frequently 
held  court.  Things  were  in  a  nebulous  state,  "  slow 
rounding  into  form."  Since  Mr.  Leach  returned  East, 
he  has  been  in  business  in  Boston,  having  his  home  in 
Salem.  For  a  few  years  past,  he  has  made  his  summer 
residence  among  us,  at  the  old  homestead  on  the 
«  Plain." 


APPENDIX   K.  341 

Capt.  William  A.  Andrews,  son  of  Asa  Andrews, 
was  born  in  1843,  in  the  house  now  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  Mr.  J.  Radford  Lord,  His  grandfather, 
Zebulon  Andrews  of  Essex,  taught  navigation,  and 
was  pilot  of  United  States  shij)  "  Ohio  "  on  her  voyage 
to  the  Mediterranean,  and  was  said  to  be  the  only  man 
who  could  navigate  that  vessel,  a  seventy-four  gun 
ship  of  the  old  type.  The  grandson  performed  a  more 
hazardous  feat  in  navigating  alone  a  small  boat  from 
Atlantic  City  to  Palos,  Spain,  in  the  summer  of  1892, 
arriving  in  the  latter  city  in  time  to  take  part  in  the 
festivities  held  there  in  honor  of  the  discoverer  of  the 
New  World.  Captain  Andrews  received  great  atten- 
tions from  the  Government  and  was  presented  to  the 
Queen.  The  boat,  which  passed  through  town  Jan. 
22,  1895,  and  was  seen  by  many  of  our  people,  is  14 
ft.  6  in.  long  over  all,  and  is  a  canvas-covered  folding 
boat,  decked  over,  excepting  a  cock-pit  2  ft.  by  3  ft. 
and  6  ft.  long,  fitted  with  a  sliding  hatch.  She  carries 
350  lbs.  of  lead  on  her  keel. 

John  Lee,  son  of  Andrew  Lee,  was  born  Dec.  6, 
1813.  He  was  identified  with  town  affairs  for  an 
unusually  long  period.  He  served  on  the  Board  of 
Selectmen  twenty-five  years,  and  for  a  considerable 
part  of  the  time  was  also  town  clerk.  He  was  Repre- 
sentative in  the  Legislature  in  1847,  '48  and  '68.  He 
was  a  man  of  strength  of  character,  and  an  able  de- 
fender of  the  town's  rights  in  instances  when  they 
were  imperilled.  Mr.  Lee  was  greatly  interested  in 
historical  and  antiquarian  matters,  and  contributed  to 
the  Beetle  and  Wedge,  during  the  brief  term  of  its  ex- 
istence, a  number  of  articles  on  the  earlier  history  of 
the  town.  He  kept  a  Diary  for  many  years  which  is  a 
mine  of  information  on  local  events.  Mr.  Lee  died 
July  9,  1879. 


342  HISTORY   OF    IVIANCHESTER. 

These  are  among  those  who  were  either  the  "  Mak- 
ers" of  Manchester,  or  who  went  forth  from  its  shops 
and  shores  to  plant  New  England  institutions  and  ideas 
on  other  soil  and  beneath  other  skies.  There  were 
others  worthy  of  equal  mention,  who  lived  less  event- 
ful lives,  or  concerning  whom  only  scanty  memories  or 
traditions  remain,  but  whose  names  deserve  to  be 
"  writ  large  "  in  the  respect  and  gratitude  of  posterity. 
« The  time  would  fail "  to  tell  of  the  Bennetts,  the 
Leaches,  the  Marsterses,  the  Wests,  the  Normans,  the 
Hiltons,  the  Knowltons,  the  Edwardses,  the  Sibleys, 
the  Bishops,  the  Herricks,  the  Hassams,  the  Hoopers, 
who  fished  the  seas,  subdued  the  forest,  laid  out  the 
roads,  built  the  wharves,  served  the  Church  and  State, 
and  ruled  the  Town.  Many  of  them  were  men  of  such 
strong  individuality  that  it  needs  but  slight  effort  of 
the  imagination  to  reinvest  them  with  a  personal  inter- 
est, till  "  only  they  who  live  in  history  seem  to  walk  the 
earth  aerain." 


APPENDIX  L. 

Flotsam  and  Jetsam. 
Ancestral  Name  and  Home  of  the  Allens. 


The  name  of  Allen,  or  as  it  is  variously  spelled,  Allin, 
Allan,  Allyn,  is  doubtless  the  same  as  that  of  the  noted 
non-conformist  preacher  and  author,  Joseph  Alleine, 
born  1634,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  descendant 
of  Alan,  Lord  of  Buckenhall,  in  the  reign  of  the  first 
Edward.  The  Alans  of  England  are  thus  traced  to  a 
Suffolk  ancestor.  Is  it  not  possible  that  some  of  the 
Allens  came  from  Yarmouth,  on  the  borders  of  Norfolk 
and  Suffolk,  and  gave  the  name  to  that  part  of  the 
town  which  they  settled,  and  which  later  became  known 
as  "  North  Yarmouth  "  to  distinguish  it  from  Yarmouth 
on  Cape  Cod  ?  A  confirmation  of  this  theory  may  per- 
haps be  found  in  the  name  early  given  to  the  "  Row," 
from  the  ancient  streets  called  "  Rows  "  in  the  English 
Yarmouth ;  also,  in  the  quaint  lines  on  Capt.  John 
Allen's  gravestone  (p.  275),  which  are  found  in  seaside 
graveyards  on  the  eastern  coast  of  England. 

The  Will  of  William  Allen.  —  Copied  from  First 
Book  (Old  Series),  page  72,  Essex  Probate  Records: 

William  Allen's  Will. 

the  last  will  of  Wim:  Allen  Sen'  of  Manchester  made  the  7: 

June  78: 

Imp's.  I  doe  make  my  wife  Elizabeth  Allen  my  full  &  Sole 
executrix  of  all  my  lands  &  goods  during  her  life:  c%  after 
the  death  of  my  wife,  to  be  disposed  in  manner  &  forme, 
as  followeth,  that  is  to  say,  I  give  to  my  sonn  samuell 
the  remainder  of  y»  25  acre  lott;  which  he  alreddy  pos- 
sesseth,  that  is  to  say  the  vplands  &  the  share  of  y"  fresh 
meddow  belonging  therevnto,  I  giue  to  my  two  sonns 
onesiphorus  &  William  Allen,  my  whole  50  acre  lott,  with 

343 


344  HISTOKY   OF    MANCHESTEK. 

all  the  deuissions  &  App'tenances  belonging  to  it,  with 
the  propriety  of  all  comons  deuided  &  vndiiiided  belong- 
ing to  it,  &  an  acre  of  salt  marsh,  at  the  lower  end  of  my 
oarchard,  that  I  purchast,  this  I  giue  to  my  two  sonns 
onesiphorus  &  Wim:  Allen,  to  be  equally  deuided  be- 
tweene  them,  both  after  the  death  of  me  &  my  wife  &  it 
is  further  to  be  vnderstood,  that  as  son  onesii^horus  hath 
halfe  an  acre,  in  p'sent  possession,  joynning  to  his  house 
that  lyes  in  my  oarchard,  for  my  son  Wim :  Allen  to  haue 
halfe  an  acre  Joynning  to  his  house  in  the  same  maner. 
In  witnes  where  of  the  said  William  Allen  has  put  to  my 
hand  in  the  p''sence  of  Tho:  Joans  E  Joans  his  mark  Sam- 

uell  friend 

the  mark  of 

WA 

William  Allen 

Tho:  Joans  &  samuell  friend  gaue  oath  in  Court  that  they 
signed  the  aboue  written  as  witnesses  &  y"  s*  Allen  signed 
the  same  &  declared  it  as  his  last  will  &  testament  in  theirs 
p'sence  being  of  a  disposing  mind :  alowed  in  court  at  Salem 
the  16:4:79 

atest  HiLLiAKD  Veeen  cler: 

An  Inventory  of    y'  estate    of    Wim:    Allen    deceased    3: 
mo 

11:78 

house  &  land  with  all  j"  meddow  belonging  £  140:00:00 
15  acres  of  vpland  lying  within  the  bounds 

of  Beverly:  Joynning  to  wenham  Great 

pond  "    20:00:00 

2  oxen:  a  cow:  2  heifers:  2  sheep:  a  horse  "    18:10:00 

Bed:  with  beding  &  other  household  stuff  "    08:00:00 


£  186:10:00 
(£5  to  be  abated  for  the  loss  of  a  horse) 

This  is  aboue  Inventory  made  by  Tho:  West  John  Sibley 
17:  12:  78  the  estate  is  d'  to  seuerall  men  19:  13:  3^ 

Elizabeth  the  relict  of  the  deceased  gaue  oath  to  the  truth 
of  the  aboue  written  Inventory  to  the  best  of  her  knowledge, 

&  what  comes  to  her  knowledge  afterwards;  to  ad  to  it  in 

mo 
Court  at  salem:  20:  4:  79 

atest  HiLLiARD  Veken  clei-. 
the  widdows  testimony  &  y*  debtors  bills  filed  with  y'  will  & 
Inventory. 


APPENDIX   L.  345 

DEED    OF    MASCONOMO'S    GRANDSONS. 

Samcel  English   and  John  Umpee  to  tlie  town  of    Man- 
chester: 

Samuel  English,  Joseph  English  and  John  Umpee  all  living 
in  Middlesex  county,  Indians,  on  one  party,  and  Robert  Leach 

John  Knowlton,  and  Samuel  Lee,  Selectmen  of  the  Town 

of  Manchester  in  the  County  of  Essex,  on  the  other  party,  for 
£3  19s.  current  silver  money  of  New  England  received.  Whereas 
said  townshijje  quietly  and  peaceably  and  without  molestation 
enjoyed  the  soil,  &c.  for  more  than  sixty  years  —  and  that  in 
the  first  place  by  the  consent  and  approbation  of  our  grand- 
father Sagamore  John  of  Agawam  —  alias  Masconomo,  or  Mas- 
quenomenit,  and  ever  since  by  consent  and  approbation  of  his 
children,  and  by  us  his  grandchildren,  being  now  the  surviv- 
ing and  proper  heirs  to  our  said  grandfather  Masquenomenit. 

Samuel  English  [Mark  &  Seal] 
John  Umpee  [Mark  &  Seal] 

Witnesses 

John  Newman 

Joseph  Heekick 

Thomas  Whitbedge 

Acknowledged  at  Salem 

Dec.  18,  1700. 

John  Higginson 
Examined 

Attest  Steph  Sewall 

Register. 

Indiax  Remaixs.  —  The  following  account  of  archae- 
ological discoveries  in  town  was  written  by  a  very  care- 
ful and  intelligent  observer,  Mr.  John  Lee.  It  is  well 
worthy  of  preservation  : 

Many  years  ago  one  of  these  mounds,  located  near  and  south- 
easterly from  the  Orthodox  meeting-house,  and  on  land  then 
owned  by  Capt.  Thomas  Leach,  was  levelled  down,  and  in  1835, 
C'apt.  John  Knight  levelled  down  another  situated  at  the  head 
of  tide-water,  the  spot  on  which  the  steam  mill  of  Messrs.  Kel- 
ham  &  Fitz  now  stands. 

This  mound  was  about  150  feet  in  diameter,  and  about  eight 
feet  above  the  adjoining  marsh,  and  on  it  stood  some  large 
api)le  trees.     It  was  of  a  conical  form  and  had  a  moat  entirely 


346  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

surrounding  it,  which  was  filled  with  water  at  very  high  tides. 
Large  quantities  of  bones  were  found  here,  but  very  much  de- 
cayed, so  that  they  were  cut  with  a  spade  or  shovel  as  easily 
as  the  ground  they  were  embedded  in.  These  bones  appeared 
to  have  been  interred  promiscuously,  and  in  an  erect  position. 
No  Indian  implements  were  found  there.  On  the  plain  near 
the  spot  where  it  is  supposed  AVilliam  Allen  built  the  first 
English  dwelling-house  in  the  town,  the  Indians  had  their 
wigwam  fires  for  a  long  period  of  time,  for  when  that  elevation 
of  land  was  taken  down  in  1845,  for  the  purpose  of  levelling  off 
a  lot  for  ''  Union  Cemetery,"  below  the  soil  was  found  in  many 
places,  of  the  diameter  of  about  six  feet,  where  the  earth  had 
been  burnt  down  by  fires,  and  the  deposit  of  ashes,  charred 
wood,  burnt  stones,  etc.,  were  from  sixteen  to  eighteen  inches 
in  depth,  and  the  earth  for  some  feet  around  was  of  a  reddish- 
yellow  color,  different  from  the  natural  earth;  and  when,  in 
the  autumn  of  18G4,  a  gravel  pit  was  opened  into  a  sandy, 
gravelly  knoll  about  twenty-five  rods  southerly  from  this  place, 
four  entire  skeletons  were  found  buried  there,  three  of  adults, 
and  one  of  a  youth;  one  of  the  adults  was  of  very  large  size. 
They  were  found  lying  nearly  side  by  side,  with  their  heads 
toward  the  west,  which  were  raised  so  as  to  face  the  east. 
They  were  found  about  fourteen  inches  below  the  surface, 
which  had  been  much  cultivated.  One  of  these  skeletons  had 
its  head  rested  upon  a  round  piece  of  copper  of  about  sixteen 
inches  in  diameter,  and  where  the  head  touched  the  copper 
the  skin  and  hair  adhered  firmly  to  the  skull.  The  hair  was 
black  and  bright,  and  about  two  and  a  half  feet  long.  AVith 
them  were  found  an  iron  tomahawk,  and  an  iron  knife-blade 
much  decayed  by  rust,  some  coarse  cloth  made  of  flags  or 
rushes,  a  short-stemmed  smoking  pipe,  a  large  number  of  bone 
arrow-heads,  preserved  by  the  copper  in  a  sound  condition. 
These  ai-row-heads  were  formed  something  like  a  writing  pen, 
sharp  at  the  point;  some  were  found  of  stone,  larger  and  in 
the  form  of  a  heart:  some  lobsters'  claws,  a  fishing  line  in 
good  form  but  very  rotten,  a  portion  of  another  line  of  larger 
size,  both  made  from  some  fibrous  plant,  a  wooden  ladle  or 
bowl  and  wooden  spoons.  At  other  times  round,  smooth 
stones  about  fourteen  inches  long,  probably  used  for  crushing 
corn,  and  a  round  stone  of  about  the  size  of  an  eight-pound 
iron  shot,  with  a  groove  around  it  in  two  ways,  deep  enough 
to  receive  a  small  rope  or  withe,  were  found. 


APPENDIX   L.  347 

"  Freijchmen  "  IN  Manchester.  —  Reference  is 
made  on  page  258  to  the  "  Frenchmen  "  mentioned  in 
the  Town  Records.  They  were,  as  Bancroft  says, 
«  a  simple,  harmless  people  torn  from  their  homes,  and 
scattered  in  broken  families  from  New  Hampshire  to 
Georgia."  Those  that  M^ere  landed  at  Boston  were  dis- 
tributed among  the  towns,  to  be  cared  for  .at  the  public 
charge.  The  following  action  of  the  General  Court 
throws  light  upon  the  matter : 

In  the  House  of  Repkesentatives  Dec.  27,  1755. 

Whereas  a  considerable  number  of  the  inhabitants  of  Nova 
Scotia  arrived  here  the  26th  inst.  being  removed  by  the  Gover- 
nor and  Council  of  the  Province  for  the  security  thereof  ;  and 
no  provision  being  made  for  their  support  here,  they  are  in 
great  danger  of  suffering  during  this  rigorous  season,  without 
the  interposition  of  the  Court.  Ordered,  that  Mr.  James  Rus- 
sell, Mr.  Cooper  and  Mr.  Hall,  with  such  as  the  honorable 
Board  shall  join,  be  a  committee  to  provide  for  the  support  of 
such  inhabitants  of  Nova  Scotia  until  advice  may  be  had  from 
Governor  Lawrence,  and  his  orders  concerning  them ;  or  until 
there  may  be  an  opportunity  of  applying  to  his  Excellency 
General  Shirley,  Commander  in  Chief  of  his  Majesty's  forces 
in  Xorth  America,  for  his  directions  concerning  them.  And 
the  Committee  are  to  dispose  of  them  in  the  meantime  in 
such  Towns  within  this  Province  as  they  shall  judge  least  in- 
convenient to  the  public.  And  the  Selectmen  or  Overseers  of 
the  Poor  of  the  several  towns  to  which  they  may  be  sent  as 
aforesaid  are  hereby  authorized  and  required  to  receive  them, 
and  employ  or  support  them  in  such  manner  as  shall  incur  the 
least  charge.  And  the  said  inhabitants  of  Nova  Scotia  being 
so  received  and  entertained  in  any  Town,  shall  not  be  con- 
strued or  understood  to  be  an  admission  of  them  as  town 
inhabitants  ;  the  Court  relying  upon  it  that  some  other  pro- 
vision will  be  made  for  them  without  any  expense  to  this  gov- 
ernment, signed  etc. 

In  pursuance  of  the  above  Order,  we  direct  that  the  Town 
of  Manchester  shall  at  present  receive  Joseph  Janwise  his 
wife  1  Son,  3  Daughters  in  all  6,  and  the  Selectmen  or  Over- 
seers of  said  town  are  to  dispose  of  them  in  any  method  they 


348  HISTORY   OF    IVIANCHESTEE. 

apprehend  most  likely  to  answer  the  ends  proposed  by  this 
government 

Samuel,  Watts, 
In  the  name  of  the  Committee. 
To  the  Selectmen  or  Overseers  of  Manchester. 
Boston  Dec.  29th,  1755. 

1777. 

SHIPPING    PAPEBS    OF     SCHOOXER    "  HAWKE,"    PRIVATEEB, 
CAPT.    J.    HIBBERT. 

Now  fitted  for  Sea 
and  ready  to  proceed  on  a  cruise  the  privateer  Sch.  Hawke  a 
well  built  vessel  of  seventy  five  tons  burthen,  mounting  10 
carriage  guns  8  swivels  —  small  arms  &c. — She  is  a  ijrime 
sailer  and  has  on  board  evry  convenience  for  such  a  cruise 
and  is  to  be  commanded  by  Capt.  Jeremiah  Hibbert. — The 
whole  crew  are  to  draw  one  half  of  all  prizes  out  of  which  the 
Capt.  will  draw  8  shares  —  First  Lieut.  5,  second  do  2.  Master 
4  —  Prize  Masters  3,  first  mate  2^  second  do  2.  Surgeon  5  — 
and  the  remainder  a  single  share  — 

We  therefore  the  subscribers  do  severally  engage  and  en- 
list ourselves  &c — &c — 

Jeremiah  Hibbert  Captain 
Marston  Watson  1st  Lieut 
Caleb  Eay  Surgeon 
Samuel  Bennet  Master 
Ezekiel  Leach  Mate 
Israel  Morgan  Gunner 
Benjamin  Leach  Prize  Master 

The  names  of  some  of  the  crew  were  Thomas  Steele, 
Theophilus  Lane,  Joseph  Perry,  Nicholas  Babcock,  Stil- 
son  Hilton,  Abial  Lee,  John  Knight  carpenter. 

NAMES    OF    MANCHESTER    MEN,    MASTERS    OF    VESSELS    ON 
FOREIGN    VOYAGES. 

[It  is  perhaps  too  much  to  expect  that  this  list  is  free  from  errors ;  but  it 
has  been  made  up  with  a  great  deal  of  care.] 

Benjamin  Allen.  John  Hill. 

James  Allen.  Amos  Hilton. 

James  G.  Allen.  Jacob  P.  Holmes. 

John  Allen.  John  Hooper. 


APPENDIX   L. 


349 


John  Allen.^ 
John  W.  Allen. 
Joseph  Allen. 
Richard  Allen. 
Samuel  Allen. 
William  Allen. 
Peter  Ayres. 
William  Babcock. 

Babcock. 

Delucena  L.  Bingham. 
James  Brown. 
Abial  Burgess. 
Abial  Burgess,  Jr. 
David  Burgess. 
David  Burgess,  Jr. 
Benjamin  Carter. 
David  Carter. 
Ezekiel  Carter. 
James  Carter. 
John  Carter. 
John  W.  Carter. 
Nathan  Carter. 
Obed  Carter. 
Henry  Cheever. 
Jacob  Cheever. 
David  Crafts. 
Ambrose  Crowell. 
Ariel  P.  Crowell. 
Samuel  Crowell. 
Hilton  Dow. 
David  Driver. 
David  Driver,  Jr. 
John  Driver. 
John  Girdler. 
John  Girdler,  Jr. 
Israel  D.  Goodridge. 
Simeon  Haskell. 
Jonathan  Hassam. 
William  Hassam. 
Amos  Hill. 
Benjamin  Hill. 
1  Grandson  of  John. 


William  Hooper.  (2.) 
William  Hooper,  Jr. 
William  Kelleham. 
James  Knight. 
Benjamin  Leach. 
Benjamin  Leach,  Jr. 
Charles  Leach. 
Daniel  Leach. 
Ezekiel  Leach. 
Thomas  Leach. 
Thomas  Leach,  Jr. 
Edward  Lee. 
Isaac  Lee. 
John  Lee. 
Nathaniel  Lee. 
William  Lee. 
William  Lee,  Jr. 
Benjamin  Lull. 
William  Lull. 
Andrew  Marsters. 
Isaac  Morgan. 
Isaac  Morgan,  Jr. 
Samuel  Morgan.  (2.) 
William  Morse. 
Tyler  Parsons,  Jr. 
Jacob  Pert. 
William  Pert. 

Prince. 

Augustus  Smith. 
Abram  Stone. 
Nathan  Stone. 
Abram  Symonds. 

Tarring. 

Richard  Trask. 
John  Tuck. 
William  Tuck. 
William  Tuck,  Jr. 
Samuel  Wells. 
Thomas  Williams. 
Jacob  Woodbury. 


350  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

If  the  adventures,  "  hair-breadth  'scapes,"  ingenious 
expedients,  nautical  skill  and  business  enterprise  of 
these  men  could  be  related,  the  tale  would  equal  in 
interest,  if  not  in  wonder,  the  "  Arabian  Nights."  They 
sailed  every  sea,  visited  every  clime,  saw  the  far-famed 
capitals  of  Europe,  the  old  empires  of  the  East,  and 
lands  unknown  to  history  or  song.  They  encountered 
savages,  pirates'  and  enemies'  fleets,  typhoons  in  the 
China  seas,  icebergs  in  the  Atlantic,  doldrums  and  tidal 
waves.  They  made  the  name  of  the  American  sailor 
everywhere  a  synonym  for  hardihood,  intelligence,  pluck 
and  sagacity.  They  built  up  a  commerce  which  was 
once  our  national  pride  and  the  envy  of  the  world. 

The  Gold  Huntbks.  —  In  1849  a  unique  voyage  was 
made  from  Manchester  to  California.  A  j^arty  formed 
a  stock  company,  bought  a  schooner,  the  "  Billow,"  of 
about  100  tons,  and  freighting  it  with  the  frame  of  a 
house  and  provisions,  set  sail  for  the  new  El  Dorado. 
They  manned  the  vessel  themselves,  and  on  arriving  at 
San  Francisco  sold  it  and  the  freight,  and  betook  them- 
selves to  the  mines.  After  varying  fortunes,  most  of 
the  number  found  their  way  back  to  their  eastern  homes. 
Three  died  in  California.  It  was  not  a  very  profitable 
venture,  but  it  was  an  illustration  of  pluck  and  enter- 
prise worthy  the  men  of  Cape  Ann.  None  became  mil- 
lionaires ;  all  secured  a  portion  of  that  which  is  often  of 
more  value  than  riches  —  experience.  The  following  is 
a  list  of  the  company. 

Albert  E.  Low,  John  Kemp,  Isaac  Allen,  D.  W.  Friend, 
William  Sturgess,  Henry  Sawyer,  Henry  Stone,  Albert  Dow, 
William  E.  Wlieaton,  Joseph  Morgan,  George  Thompson;  J.  D. 
AVinn,^  Sailing  Master;  A.  W.  Smith,  Captain.  A.  E.  Low  and 
D.  W.  Friend  are  the  only  survivors  of  these  modern  Argo- 
nauts. The  vessel  also  carried  as  passengers,  Joshua  Younger, 
Charles  Smith  and Hunnewell. 

I  Captain  Winn  accompanied  the  famous  Wilkes  Exploring  Expedition. 


APPENDIX   L.  351 

Earthquakes.  —  Several  severe  shocks  of  earth- 
quake were  experienced  in  New  England  in  the  early 
days.  One  of  these  on  the  29th  of  October,  1727, 
greatly  alarmed  the  people  of  Manchester.  The  mo- 
tion was  so  violent,  that  those  who  were  standing  were 
obliged  to  sit  down  to  avoid  falling.  An  old  writer 
says: 

The  heavens  were  clear,  the  atmosphere  perfectly  calm,  the 
moon  shining  in  her  glory.  The  shock  extended  several  hun- 
dred miles;  its  greatest  force  was  displayed  at  Newbury,  in 
Essex  county;  the  earth  burst  open  in  several  places;  more 
than  a  hundred  cart-loads  of  earth  were  thrown  out,  which 
in  a  few  days,  emitted  a  loathsome  smell. 

On  the  night  on  which  Lisbon  was  destroyed,  Nov.  1, 
1755,  it  is  said  that  the  Leach  family  w^as  gathered 
around  the  fireplace  (in  the  house  owned  and  occu- 
pied by  the  late  Mr.  Charles  Wilmonton),  when  the 
house  was  violently  shaken  and  bricks  came  tumbling 
down  the  chimney,  to  the  great  alarm  of  the  family  in 
front  of  the  fire.  Is  there  any  record  of  similar  seismic 
disturbances  in  New  England  at  that  date  ? 

Epidemics.  —  In  1748,  the  throat  distemper  prevailed 
and  many  children  died.  "  The  throat  swelled  with 
white  or  ash-colored  specks,  an  efilorescence  appeared 
on  the  skin ;  with  great  debility  of  the  whole  system, 
and  a  strong  tendency  to  putridity."  This  disease  was 
the  scourge  of  New  England  in  the  last  century. 

Early  in  1775,  the  greatly  dreaded  small-pox  visited 
the  town,  and  many  people  fell  victims  to  its  ravages. 
"  The  pest-house  "  was  built  at  this  time.  The  town 
voted,  March  20,  "to  Choose  a  Committee  of  three 
men  to  Look  out  and  purchas  a  place  to  sett  a  small 
Pox  &  smoak  House  upon  and  to  agree  with  a  Person 
or  Persons  to  Build  said  Houses  in  the  Cheepest  man- 
ner."    Again,  in  1791,   a  house  was  built   at  Graves' 


352  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

Beach  for  small-pox  patients,  indicating  a  recurrence  of 
the  malady. 

The  following  Report  of  Committee  (without  date)  is 
on  iile  in  the  Town  Clerk's  office : 

The  Committee  Appointed  to  Look  out  a  Suitable  Place  to 
Sett  a  House  for  the  Vse  of  the  Small  pox  and  also  to  put  the 
poor  in  when  Not  used  for  the  Small  pox  and  to  procure  a 
Frame  for  s*  house  have  attended  that  Sarvice  and  Do  Re- 
port—  That  the  Common  Eight  belonging  to  the  Estate  of 
Mr  John  Eskort  Dec*  they  Judg  to  be  a  most  Conveniant 
place  for  that  Purpose  and  that  they  have  agreed  with  Mr 
Jacob  Allen  for  a  frame  for  said  House  for  the  Sum  of  Seven 
pound,  Six   Shiling  Eight  pence  A  Plan  of  which   House   is 

Herewith  Exhibited 

Signed  By  order  of  the  Committee 

Andrew  Woodberry  Clerk. 

In  1794,  occurred  the  "great  sickness,"  in  which  ac- 
cording to  the  memoir  of  Edward  Lee,  sixty-four  per- 
sons died  (page  28).  "  It  visited  every  family  but  two 
in  town."  Dr.  David  Norwood  is  said  to  have  "  labored 
excessively  "  at  this  time.  There  was  great  difficulty  in 
obtaining  persons  to  care  for  the  sick.  "Many  suffered 
for  want  of  attendance." 

Longevity.  —  Statistics  hardly  bear  out  the  assertion 
sometimes  made  that  the  average  of  life  is  less  than  in 
former  times.  No  doubt,  our  forefathers  possessed 
vigorous  constitutions,  and  were  capable  of  enduring 
great  hardships.  But  the  burdens  imposed  upon  the 
earlier  generations  in  New  England  told  upon  them, 
and  the  average  of  life  appears  to  have  been  less  than 
at  present.  Bradford,  in  his  Memoir  of  Elder  Brewster, 
speaks  of  many  of  the  people  living  to  "very  olde  age," 
and  goes  on  to  say  that  many  had  "  attained  to  60 
years  of  age,  and  to  65,  diverse  to  70  and  above,  and 
some  were  80,"  and  adds,  that  in  view  of  "  y"  many 
changes  and  hardships  these  people  went  through,  and 


APPENDIX    L.  353 

y®  many  enemies  they  had  and  difficulties  they  mette 
with  all,  it  was  God^s  vissitation  that  preserved  their 
spirits."  There  are  no  records  of  deaths  in  town  prior 
to  1749.  From  that  time  to  1800,  we  find  but  thirty- 
two  who  reached  the  age  of  eighty;  from  1800  to  1850, 
there  were  seventy-one,  with  a  gap  of  twelve  years  in 
the  records;  from  1850  to  1887,  there  were  no  less  than 
one  hundred  and  thirteen.  Allowance  must  be  made, 
of  course,  for  increase  of  population.  Mrs.  Lucy  A. 
Roberts,  who  died  in  1881,  reached  the  age  of  one  hun- 
dred and  three  years  and  ten  months. 

Rattlesnakes. There  are  no  snakes,  so  far  as  is 

known,  of  the  species  Crotalus  horridus  at  present  in 
Manchester.  But  rattlesnakes  formerly  abounded  in 
the  ledges  and  rocky  hillsides,  much  to  the  terror 
and  danger  of  the  inhabitants.  These  reptiles  were  no 
mere  myths,  but  a  very  awesome  reality ;  so  much  so 
that  so  late  as  1844,  the  town  offered  a  bounty  of  one 
dollar  per  head  for  their  destruction.  While  found 
more  or  less  in  different  parts  of  the  town,  as  near  the 
village  even  as  Powder-house  Hill,  they  seem  to  have 
had  their  headquarters  in  a  den  in  the  woods  near  the 
Essex  line.^  Their  extermination  is  due  to  a  single 
mighty  hunter  of  Ophidians,  Mr.  John  D.  Hildreth. 
This  slayer  of  dragons  received  a  considerable  revenue 
in  bounties,  in  the  oil  which  was  considered  by  many  a 
specific  for  rheumatism,  and  for  living  specimens 
secured  for  museums  and  showmen.     He  had  an  ingen- 

1  There  were  at  least  two  severe  cases  of  rattlesnake  bites.  In  1799, 
Capt.  Henry  Lee  was  bitten,  but  by  prompt  treatment  lii.s  life  was  saved. 
A  few  years  later,  Ebenezer  Tappan  was  bitten  ;  with  him,  although  vigor- 
ous application  of  remedies  neutralized  the  effects  of  the  bite,  discolora- 
tion of  the  skin,  inflammation  and  lameness  recurring  about  the  same  time 
every  year  until  his  death,  some  forty  years  after,  witnessed  to  the  viru- 
lence of  the  venom.  Among  the  remedies  used  in  these  cases,  were  fresh 
earth,  baths  of  warm  milk  and  application  of  pelts  from  a  newly  killed 
sheep.  . 


354  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

ious  method  of  ensnaring  them.  With  a  dog  to  arouse 
the  reptiles,  and  armed  with  a  slender  stick  with  a  slip 
noose  attached  to  it,  he  watched  his  opportunity  as  the 
head  was  lifted  in  anger  to  strike,  and  dextrously 
lassoed  his  victim  which  he  then  easily  despatched.  At 
last  he  laid  siege  to  their  stronghold,  when  they  were  in 
a  state  of  hibernation,  and  by  building  a  fire  at  the 
mouth  of  their  den,  lured  them  forth,  when  he  caught 
them  one  by  one,  flinging  them  upon  the  snow  which 
chilled  them  and  made  them  an  easy  prey.  This  ruse 
proved  so  successful  that  apparently  not  one  escaped, 
as  no  rattlesnake  has  been  seen  in  town  since.  Mr. 
Hildreth  well  deserves  to  be  called  a  public  benefactor. 
He  died  in  1885. 

Travel  One  Hundred  Years  Ago.  —  An  interest- 
ing letter,  preserved  in  the  Crafts  Genealogy,  gives  a 
glimpse  of  the  perils  of  the  road  only  a  few  miles  from 
Boston,  near  the  close  of  the  last  century ;  and  also 
furnishes  a  personal  reminiscence  of  Prof.  David  Tap- 
pan,  of  whom  so  little  is  now  known,  which  shows  him 
to  have  been  a  man  of  nerve,  and  equal  to  an  emer- 
gency.    The  scene  is  laid  in  Brookline,  Mass. 

Mr.  Jackson  has  the  rheumatism,  he  is  not  confined  to  the 
house,  but  is  at  times  lame.  Mr.  Tappans  of  Cambridge 
preached  for  him  yesterday.  He  was  very  unfortunate  in 
coming  over  the  bridge  in  the  new  lane  as  it  is  called.  The 
violent  South  storm  we  had  Saturday  night  carried  off  the 
snow  &  raised  the  water  to  such  a  degree  that  none  attempted 
to  pass  but  Mr.  Tappin  &  his  son;  in  passing  the  horse  went 
off  the  bridge,  Mr.  Tappin,  son  &  carriage  were  plunged  into 
the  water,  it  is  said  his  son  had  liked  to  have  been  drowned, 
but  they  got  out  safely.  Mr.  Tappin  sent  his  son  back  to 
Capt.  Crafts  to  get  people  to  assist  in  getting  the  horse  &  chaise 
out  of  tlie  water,  while  he  went  on  to  Mr.  Jackson's,  dripping. 
This  was  the  report  yesterday,  your  brother  has  this  minute 
come  in  from  town  meeting,  says  Mr.  Jackson  told  him,  after 
Mr.  Tappin  had  sent  his  son  to  call  assistance  he  staid  in  the 


APPE^IDIX    L.  355 

water  while  he  disengaged  the  horse  from  the  carriage,  then 
mounted  bare-backed,  followed  his  son,  borrowed  a  saddle,  & 
rode  round  by  White's  to  Sumner's  store.  This  accident  hap- 
pened at  first  bell-ringing,  he  did  not  get  to  Mr.  Jackson's  till 
after  the  second  began.  He  was  so  fatigued  he  could  not  give 
much  account  of  himself,  only  that  he  had  been  in  the  water. 
Mr.  J.  drest  the  poor  unfortunate  then  in  a  suit  of  his  cloaths, 
but  as  his  small  cloaths  did  not  cover  his  knees  he  was  obliged 

to  wear  his  wet  ones  or  go  without.     David  H said  he 

was  very  sorry  he  did  not  send  to  him  for  a  pair,  but  as  the 
legs  of  the  lame  are  not  equal,  if  one  knee  had  been  covered, 
the  other  must  have  been  bare,  but  he  dried  &  fixed  himself  as 
well  as  he  could  and  went  clumping  into  meeting  with  his  bor- 
rowed shoes,  just  as  Mr.  J.  had  done  his  first  prayer.  Mr.  J.'s 
cloak  was  so  short  for  him,  he  could  not  look  very  Buckish; 
altho'  there  were  some  circumstances  a  little  diverting  it  was 
really  a  serious  affair.  .  .  .  Mr.  Tappin  put  his  notes  &  his 
Bond  [Bands  ?]  in  his  Book  &  put  them  on  the  cushion  on  be- 
hind him  when  he  set  out  from  Cambridge.  The  current  was 
so  rapid  they  were  all  carried  off.  Notwithstanding  he  preached 
two  excellent  sermons  from  notes  he  happened  to  have  in  his 
pocket  The  chaise  which  he  borrowed  of  the  President  was 
very  much  damaged.  It  seemed  as  if  fire  &  water  was  against 
them  Sunday;  his  son  staid  at  home  in  the  forenoon  to  dry 
himself,  left  his  shoes  in  the  sitting  room  &  went  out  to  the 
kitchen  fire,  —  meanwhile  a  brand  fell  down  on  one  of  them  & 
burnt  the  heel  quarter  almost  up,  but  Mr.  Jackson  was  kind 
enough  to  look  up  one  that  answered  to  follow  his  father  to 
meeting  in  the  afternoon. 

CoxvEYAKCES.  —  There  could  hardly  be  a  better 
illustration  of  the  changes  of  the  past  century,  than  the 
contrast  between  the  lumbering  stage-coach  that  once 
accommodated  the  travel  between  Gloucester  and  Bos- 
ton by  its  triweekly  trips,  and"  the  eight  or  ten  long, 
well-tilled  trains  that  now  run  daily  each  way  between 
the  "Hub"  and  the  "  City  of  the  Sea."  The  pictur- 
esqueness  of  the  old  method  of  conveyance,  when  the 
arrival  of  Captain  Trask  from  a  Russia  voyage  would  be 
known  to  the  louno-ers  at  the  tavern  as  soon  as  the 


356  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

stage  hove  in  sight,  by  its  "  list "  to  port  or  starboard, 
as  the  case  might  be,  has  been  more  than  counterbal- 
anced by  the  ease  and  quickness  of  transit  on  the  "  Fly- 
ing Fisherman."  1 

Saw-Mills.  —  The  first  settlers  built  their  houses  of 
logs ;  the  earliest  frame  buildings  were  constructed  of 
hewn  timber.  But  saw-mills  were  erected  at  a  very 
early  period  in  different  parts  of  the  town.  There  was 
one  on  Cheever's  Creek,  north  of  the  High  Schoolhouse ; 
one  still  farther  north  ;  one  on  School  street,  near  the 
brook,  which  was  referred  to  as  the  "  old  Saw-mill "  as 
early  as  1694 ;  there  were  three  at  the  "  Cove,"  and 
one  on  the  Baker  farm,  the  only  one  now  remaining. 
The  small  streams  in  town  must  have  been  of  much 
greater  volume  formerly  than  at  present,  "  Wolftrap 
Brook "  having  almost  entirely  disappeared ;  changes 
in  the  surface  of  the  country,  the  building  of  roads  and 
drains,  and  the  partial  clearing  of  forests,  have  no  doubt 
contributed  to  this  result. 

The  Geist- Mills.  — •  These  were  John  Knowlton's  in 
the  centre;  Easkott's  at  West  Manchester ;  Israel  Fors- 
ter's  (still  standing)  ;  and  one  at  the  "  Cove,"  near  the 
road  to  the  Magnolia  station  ;  a  wind-mill  for  grinding 
grain  was  built  by  the  town  on  the  "  Plain." 

The  Shoemakers.  —  John  Cheever,  Andrew  Lee, 
Nehemiah  Goldsmith,  Daniel  Anable,  Edward  Gold- 
smith, James  Hooper,  John  W.  Mann,  Benjamin  Mor- 
gan, John  Robinson,  Isaac  S.  West,  Stephen  Story, 
Benjamin  Morse,  William  Stone. 

These  disciples  of  the  "  gentle  craft "  worked  in  small 
shops,  with  sometimes  an  apprentice  or  two,  or  a  jour- 
neyman. The  days  of  imm&nse  factories,  oi  machinery, 
and  of  strikes,  were  yet  in  the  distance, 

1  Not  to  speak  of  the  "  Subscribers'  train,"  somewhat  irreverently 
dubbed  the  "  Dude"  by  some  of  the  natives. 


APPENDIX   L.  357 

The  PEESE]srT  Business.  —  Of  late  years,  the  busi- 
ness of  the  town  has  depended  largely  upon  its  summer 
population.  Roberts  and  Hoare  began  business,  Jan.  1, 
1884,  as  successors  to  the  firm  of  Friend,  Roberts  and 
Hoare,  and  have  built  for  summer  residents  thirty-two 
houses,  at  a  cost  of  $225,000,  and  twenty-one  stables  at 
a  cost  of  $75,000.  This  is  in  addition  to  work  done 
for  permanent  residents,  and  out  of  town,  aggregating 
1216,000.  Employment  has  been  given  by  this  firm 
alone  to  forty  men  on  an  average  in  carpentering,  and  to 
fifty  or  more,  in  all  dejDartments  of  their  work.  Other 
builders  have  been  F.  W.  Churchill,  and  Phillips  and 
Killam.  E.  A.  Lane  and  A.  P.  Crowell  do  an  extensive 
business  in  painting. 

Brick -mahing,  of  which  there  are  early  traces,  has 
latel}^  assumed  considerable  importance ;  one  hundred 
and  six  thousand  brick  having  been  shipped  from 
the  yard  on  Summer  street  in  the  month  of  August, 
1894. 

Ice-cutting  employs  in  the  season  about  30  men,  and 
keeps  quite  a  force  of  men  and  teams  employed  in  the 
summer.  The  business  has  been  built  up  by  the  energy  of 
Mr.  Amos  F.  Bennett,  who  has  invested  in  it  $9,000,  in 
buildings,  machinery,  etc.  The  ice  is  cut  from  artificial 
ponds,  and  great  care  is  taken  to  secure  purity  in  the 
water  supply. 

With  the  failure  or  departure  of  its  native  industries 
—  its  fishery,  its  ship-building,  its  cabinet-making  —  the 
town  was  somewhat  in  the  position  of  Dominie  Samp- 
son, who  had  "  fallen  to  the  leeward  in  the  voayge  of 
life,"  when  it  was  grappled  to  by  the  smart  summer 
resident,  and  brought  up  to  the  wind.  Since  that  time, 
by  the  application  of  new  steering  apparatus,  change  of 
rig  and  restowing  of  cargo,  it  has  gained  seaway,  and 
now  presents  a  brave  sight  among  its  sister  craft  along 


358  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

shore,  albeit  its  build  is  somewhat  old-fashioned  and  its 
top-hamper  partly  ancient  and  partly  modern.  With 
a  good  wind  on  the  quarter,  the  old  ship  may  still  lift 
her  bows  to  the  sea,  after  the  strain  and  storms  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years.  Her  children  can  say  with  our 
much-loved  poet: 

"  Sail  on,  nor  fear  to  breast  the  sea! 
Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  are  all  with  thee, 
Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  our  prayers,  our  tears, 
Our  faith  triumphant  o'er  our  fears, 
Are  all  with  thee,  —  are  all  with  thee! " 

Shipwrecks.  —  Taking  into  account  the  rocky  nature 
of  the  coast,  it  is  surprising  that  so  few  vessels  have 
been  lost  in  this  vicinity.  It  is  probably  due  to  the 
fact  that  a  good  offing  is  usually  kept  from  Eastern 
Point  to  Baker's  Island.  On  Nov.  28,  1878,  at  an  early 
hour  in  the  morning,  the  schooner  "  Charlie  Cobb,"  of 
and  from  Rockland,  Me.,  for  Providence,  R.  I.,  loaded 
with  lime,  came  ashore  on  "  Singing  Beach."  The  ves- 
sel took  fire  and  burned  to  the  water's  edge.  The  mate, 
a  Norwegian,  was  knocked  overboard  by  the  main 
boom  and  was  drowned  before  the  vessel  was  beached, 
his  body  afterwards  washing  ashore.  On  Jan.  6,  1892, 
the  U.  S.  Revenue  Cutter,  "  Gallatin,"  was  wrecked  in 
a  thick  snow-storm  on  "  Boo-hoo  Ledge,"  about  two  miles 
from  "Eagle  Head."  One  seaman,  a  Dane,  was  struck 
by  the  falling  smoke-stack,  knocked  into  the  water  and 
drowned;  the  rest  of  the  crew,  with  the  officers,  all 
landed  safely  on  the  beach  near  the  summer  residence 
of  Mrs.  Bullard,  and  after  being  cared  for  by  the  town 
authorities  were  forwarded  by  the  late  afternoon  train 
to  Boston. 

NAMES    OF    PERSONS    LOST    AT    SEA. 

In  order  to  secure  as  f  uH  a  list  as  possible  of  those  who  have  been  lost 
at  sea,  a  request  for  information  was  published  in  Salem,  Gloucester  and 
Boston  papers  as  well  as  in  the  Manchester  Cricket.    As  the  result  of  this 


APPE^SDIX   L.  359 


inquiry  the  following  list  is  appended,  which  is  probably  as  complete  as 
can  now  be  made.  Special  thanks  are  due  to  John  T.  Hassam,  Esq.,  of 
Boston,  for  valuable  assistance,  also  to  William  H.  Tappan,  Esq.  A  num- 
ber of  names  have  been  furnished  by  the  Church  Records,  as  kept  by  Rev. 
Benjamin  Tappan,  1745-1790;  others  have  been  gathered  from  various 
sources. 

1717.     John  Peirce,  drowned  in  the  harbor. 

1719.     Ezekiel  Knowltou,  drowned  at  Sable  Island. 

1748.     Benjamin  Allen,  William  Hassam. 

1749  or  '.50.     Benjamin  Hassam,  on  a  voyage  to  Lisbon. 

William  Lee,  Isaac  Presson,  on  a  voyage  to  Lisbon. 
1752.     Ezekiel  Allen,    Mallaca  Allen,  Azariah   Allen,    Joseph 

Allen,  Jonathan  Hassam. 
1754.     Amos    Allen,    John    Tarring,    Robert    Safty,    Joseph 

Safty,  Thomas  Hoole,  coming  from  Virginia. 

1756.  Ambrose  Allen,  Moses  Trask,  Jacob  Lee,  Daniel  David- 

son,   William    Ireland,    John  Ayers,    coming    from 

Lisbon. 

James  Allen,  died  at  sea. 

1757.  Daniel  Leach,  Israel  Morgan,  died  in  England  (?). 

1758.  Joseph  Allen,  John  Day,  Simeon  Wilson,  John  Driver, 

Eichard   Lee,  Jun.,  John  Dennis,  Josiah  Lee,  John 
Sears,  Samuel  Morgan,  Jun.,  Joseph  Lee.' 

1759.  John  Hassam,  drowned  at  Louisburg. 
Lewis  Degan,  "        "  " 
John  Badcock,  died  near  Louisburg. 
Moses  Bennet,      "      "     Isle  of  Orleans. 

1760.  William  Bennett,  Aaron  Dennis,  Robert  Leach,  died  at 

sea  in  the  West  Indies. 
1765.     William     Edwards,     Samuel     Carter,    Samuel    Jones, 
drowned  in  the  harbor. 

1767.  Benjamin  Allen,  Thomas  Ayer,  Benjamin  Allen,  Ezra 

Allen,  John  Leach,  Richai'd  Kitchin,  Timothy  Dou- 
naway,  Joseph  Easty,  John  Marshall,  Josiah  Hassam. 

1768.  Benjamin  Andrews,  Charles  Leach,  Daniel  Foster,  com- 

ing fi'om  West  Indies. 
1770.     Amos  Allen,  Thomas  Allen,  Bartholomew  Allen,  Jacob 

Allen,  Crispin  Joynt,  Jacob  Lee. 
1772.     Daniel  Edwards,  Samuel  Edwards,  Samuel  Perry,  Frank 

Silva,    Benjamin    Hilton,    coming    from    the    West 

Indies. 

1  There  is  some  confusion  in  names  this  year. 


360  HISTOliY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

1773.  Edward  Lee  and  "  five  others."  * 

1774.  Benjamin  Masters  Allen,  Charles  Hill,  Moses  Bennett, 

John  Easty,  John  Morse,  Edward  Lee,  Amos  Morgan, 
Samuel  Lee. 

1776.  Daniel  Morgan,  Daniel  Ober,  Nicholas  Babcock,  James 

Pittman,    John   Allen,    John   Carter, Tucker, 

Amos  Allen,  Daniel  Brown,  .Jacob  Lendall,  Simeon 
Webber,  Azariah  Allen,  James  Morgan,  Andrew 
Brown,  Dr.  Joseph  Whipple,  lost  with  Privateer 
"  Gloucester." 

Andrew  Leach,  and  "ten  others,"  with  Privateer 
"  Barrington." 

1777.  Cajjtain  Jeremiah  Hibbert,  in  command  of  Privateer 

"  Civil  Usage,"  lost  near  Portland.  * 
John  Allen,  Azariah  Allen. 

1780.  Jacob  Allen. 

1781.  Samuel  Edwards. 
1783.     Amos  Hilton. 

1787.  Thomas  Allen,  died  at  sea. 

Malachi  Allen. 

1793.  Arthur  Allen. 

1796.  Amos  Hilton. 

1798.  Luther  Allen,  Jacob  Perry. 

1801.  John  Lee. 

1803.  Isaac  Allen,  William  Hassam. 

1821.  John  Hooper. 

1823.  Capt.  William  Babcock.  ^ 

1824.  Daniel  Allen. 

1827.  (Sept.) Hassam,  "  age  28."  * 

1829.  Josiah  Hassam,  drowned  at  Boston. 

1830.  Joseph  Killam,  on  a  voyage  to  the  West  Indies. 
1838.  John  W.  G.  Allen. 

1843.  John   Cheever,  Rufus  Cheever,  Hillard  Morse,  David 

Hall,  Xathaniel  Morgan,  Merritt  Lennon. 

1844.  Horatio  Allen. 
1852.     George  F.  Allen. 

1  Perhaps  this  and  the  list  for  1774  are  the  same. 

2  Capt.  Hibbert  had  previously  commanded  the  Privateer  "  Hawke." 

3  Murdered  at  sea  by  pirates ;  p.  113. 

*  This  is  from  the  Church  Records :  "  Josiah  Hassam  b.  Aug.  19,  1797, 
died  Sept.  1824  at  City  Point,  Va."    They  may  have  been  the  same. 


APPENDIX    L.  361 

1877.     Edward  L.  Wheaton,  Charles  Allen.  > 
1894.     Edward  W.  Leach. 

Vincent   R.    Burgess,   lost    overboard    in    the    Indian 
Ocean. 

The  above  list  gives  nearly  or  quite  130  between  the 
years  1717  and  1894.  How  many  names  are  lacking 
appears  from  the  record  made  by  Rev.  Benjamin  Tap- 
pan,  November,  1774:  "N.  B.  About  97  have  been  lost 
at  sea  and  buried  in  distant  ports  since  I  came  to  town  " 
(1745). 

1  On  voyage  to  India,  on  ship  "  Iceland,"  one  of  three  ships  built  for 
the  India  trade,  the  others  named  the  "Iceberg"  and  the"  Ice  King." 
The  "Iceland"  was  spoken  a  few  days  out  from  port,  and  never  again 
heard  from. 


APPENDIX  M. 

The  Water  Works. 

Among  the  great  works  of  art  of  the  old  world,  rival- 
ling its  Pyramids  and  Temples,  are  its  Aqueducts,  the 
ruins  of  which  still  challenge  admirfition  for  their  solid- 
ity, costliness  and  engineering  skill.  The  "  Avater  ques- 
tion "  presents  one  of  the  great  problems  of  our  modern 
civilization.  Happily,  it  seems  to  be  solved  in  Man- 
chester, at  least  for  the  present  generation.  And  there 
is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  supply  will  prove  adequate 
to  meet  all  reasonable  demands  upon  it,  so  long  as  the 
springs  run  among  the  hills. 

The  town  had  depended  for  nearly  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  of  its  history  upon  the  natural  water  supply 
by  means  of  wells  and  cisterns  for  domestic  purposes, 
and  upon  reservoirs  in  case  of  fire.  It  was  as  well  pro- 
vided for,  perhaps,  as  most  towns  of  similar  size  and 
population.  It  had  been  felt  for  many  years,  however, 
that  a  larger  and  purer  water  supply  was  demanded. 
Various  plans  were  discussed,  but  nothing  definite  was 
accomplished  until  April  23, 1890,  when  Samuel  Knight, 
T.  Jefferson  Coolidge,  Jr.,  William  Hoare  and  Roland 
C.  Lincoln  were  chosen  a  Committee  "to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  expediency  of  introducing  water  into  the 
town  for  general  town  purposes,  to  ascertain  the  best 
source  of  supply,  the  quality  of  the  same,  the  best 
method  of  procedure,  and  to  make  an  estimate  of  the 
probable  cost  thereof,  together  with  such  information  as 
will  enable  the  citizens  of  the  town  to  act  thereon  un- 
derstandingly."     This  Committee  employed  Mr.  Percy 

363 


364  HISTORY    OF    MAKCHESTEE. 

M.  Blake  as  Engineer,  and  proceeded  at  once  to  make  a 
series  of  investigations  and  surveys,  resulting  in  the 
recommendation  to  the  town  in  an  able  and  elaborate 
Report,  of  the  present  system  of  Water  Supply,  includ- 
ing driven  wells,  a  large  filter-well,  a  pumping-station 
and  stand-pipe. 

The  thoroughness  of  the  work  of  this  Committee  left 
little  to  be  done  subsequently  but  the  carrrying  out  of 
the  original  plan  with  some  slight  necessary  modifica- 
tions and  enlargements.  The  town  was  fortunate  at  the 
outset,  in  the  selection  of  its  Committee  and  its  Engi- 
neer. The  finances  of  the  enterprise  were  also  success- 
fully managed  from  the  start,  consisting  in  the  issue  of 
a  series  of  gradually  maturing  Bonds,  so  as  to  distribute 
the  cost  of  the  work  over  twenty  successive  years. 

The  following  account  of  the  construction  of  the 
Works,  and  the  introduction  of  water  into  the  town,  is 
little  more  than  a  compilation  from  the  admirable  Re- 
ports of  the  Water  Commissioners,  Engineer  and  Super- 
intendent. These  are  of  necessity  the  chief,  and  in  some 
instances  the  only,  source  of  information. 

In  pursuance  of  a  vote  at  a  town  meeting  held  Feb.  2, 
1891,  at  which  the  above-mentioned  Report  was  sub- 
mitted, the  Committee  petitioned  the  Legislature  for 
"  an  Act  to  supply  the  town  of  Manchester  with  water." 
The  Act  was  passed,  and  was  approved  by  the  Gov- 
ernor, March  20,  1891.  The  Act  was  accepted  by  the 
town  April  4,  1891,  by  a  vote  of  two  hundred  to  seventy- 
six.  At  this  meeting  the  town  also  voted  to  take  "  the 
waters  of  Sawmill  Brook  and  its  tributaries,  and  from 
springs  and  underground  and  surface  sources  adjacent 
thereto,"  and  to  issue  bonds  to  the  amount  of  $125,000, 
and  elected  Samuel  Knight,  Roland  C.  Lincoln  and 
William  Hoare  Water  Commissioners,  for  three  years, 
two  years  and  one  year  respectively. 


APPENDIX    M.  365 

On  April  15,  operations  were  begun  for  the  driving  of  test- 
wells  along  the  valley  of  Sawmill  Brook,  as  recommended  by 
the  State  Board  of  Health  and  by  Mr.  Blake  in  his  report,  in 
order  to  ascertain  more  fully  the  nature  of  the  subsoil  and  to 
determine  the  point  of  largest  yield  remote  from  habitations. 
No  satisfactory  results  could  be  reached  above  the  so-called 
Coolidge  Springs,  though  many  wells  were  sunk  to  obtain 
them.  Finally,  a  well,  No.  30,  was  developed  near  the  junc- 
tion of  the  Eastern  and  Northern  Valleys,  which  yielded  a 
remarkable  flow;  and  the  large  collecting-well  was  located 
near  it,  which  presumably  receives  the  water  from  both 
valleys. 

A  retaining  gallery,  or  filter- well  was  then  constructed, 
thirty-three  feet  in  diameter  at  the  top,  and  about 
thirty  feet  in  depth.  The  ground  proved  to  be  clay, 
here  and  there  slightly  mixed  with  fine  gravel  and  sand. 

The  progress  of  the  operations  was  watched  with  interest 
by  our  citizens  generally.  The  excavation  was  stopped  at  a 
depth  of  twenty-nine  feet;  and,  though  a  considerable  quantity 
of  water  was  obtained,  chiefly  from  the  sides  of  the  well  to- 
ward the  Eastern  Valley,  it  was  decided  to  increase  the  supply 
by  sinking  five  tubular  wells  to  enter  a  stratum  of  water-bear- 
ing gravel,  which  was  believed  to  be  easily  within  reach,  as 
indicated  by  the  existence  of  the  neighboring  springs.  These 
five  tubes,  of  2i-incli  bore,  were  driven  to  the  further  depth  of 
about  twenty-four  feet,  and  reached  the  desired  stratum  of 
gravel  from  which  said  springs  arise.  A  remarkable  and  copi- 
ous flow  from  these  tubular  wells  was  at  once  established,  the 
jets  of  water  rising  to  a  height  of  five  or  six  feet  above  the  top 
of  the  tubes. 

The  stand-pipe,  located  on  Powder  House  Hill,  is 
thirty-five  feet  in  diameter  and  seventy-five  feet  in 
height.  It  is  constructed  of  the  best  materials,  with  iron 
plates  and  steel  rivets,  and  in  the  most  thorough  manner. 
It  was  filled  with  water  for  the  first  time,  Feb.  22,  1892, 
and  was  found  to  be  practically  water-tight. 

The  pumping  station  consists  of  a  well-proportioned 
and  convenient  building  containing  the  pumping-plant, 


S66  HISTOKY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

with  coal  sheds,  and  a  house  for  the  Superintendent. 
The  pumps  were  furnished  by  the  Blake  Manufactur- 
ing Company  and  are  described  as  duplicate  pumping 
engines  of  the  compound  condensing  type,  twelve-inch 
stroke. 

The  pijje-laying  included  specifications  for  laying 
64,696  feet  of  pipe,  seventy  valves  and  seventy  hydrants. 
The  work  was  begun  July  13,  1891,  and  continued 
under  most  favorable  weather  with  little  interruption, 
until  Jan.  9,  1892. 

A  demand  for  the  extension  of  water  mains  continued 
the  work  of  laying  pipes  in  the  summer  of  1892  ;  with 
this  was  combined  the  work  of  service-piping.  By  spe- 
cial arrangement,  in  accordance  with  a  vote  of  the  town, 
jjipes  were  laid  in  many  private  estates.  The  net  cost 
of  the  work  to  March  1,  1893,  was  1156,472.33.  Dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1893,  the  demands  upon  the  well 
were  so  great  that  it  became  evident  to  the  Board 

that  it  was  desirable  to  afford  additional  vent  to  the  great  press- 
ure or  head  of  water  seeking  to  enter  through  the  five  two-and- 
a-half  inch  tubes  which  had  been  sunk  in  the  bottom  of  the 
well.  Accordingly,  awaiting  the  time  of  least  consumption  of 
the  town  water,  the  work  of  increasing  the  speed  and  volume 
of  the  supply  was  begun  on  December  5.  Six  tubes,  each  of 
four-inch  diameter,  were  driven  to  about  the  same  depth  as 
the  smaller  tubes  extend ;  and  a  considerable  quantity  of  broken 
stone,  and  then  of  coarse  Plum  Island  sand,  was  deposited  over 
the  bottom  of  the  well. 

The  extremely  dry  summer  of  1894  tested  the  capac- 
ity of  the  supply  and  of  the  works  in  an  unexpected 
manner,  but  there  was  no  failure.  On  July  13,  there 
were  pumped  400,190  gallons,  the  pumps  being  in  oper- 
ation seventeen  hours.^ 

1  This  seems  to  show  that  a  failure  of  supply  can  be  caused  only  by 
senseless,  and  fi-om  a  moral  i^oint  of  view,  criminal  waste. 


APPENDIX   M. 


367 


The  Report  of  1894  gave  the  total  cost  to  date  as 
$163,231.42  (exclusive  of  land  damages),  embracing 
14.4  miles  of  piping,  120  hydrants,  and  381  service- 
pipe  lines.  In  closing  the  Report,  the  Commissioners 
say: 

We  feel  that  our  citizens  are  to  be  congratulated  that,  while 
many  other  towns  have  been  obliged  to  increase  their  water 
debt  over  the  original  bond  issues,  Manchester  has  reduced 
hers  under  the  i)lan  of  her  series  bonds. 

The  statistics  given  below  are  from  the  Superintend- 
ent's Report  to  the  Board  of  Water  Commissioners, 
March,  1895. 

During  the  year  ending  March  1,  there  were  pumped 
42,030,790  gallons  of  water  as  follows:  — 


March    . 

.     .     1,488,420  gal. 

September 

4,289,930  gal. 

April 

.     .     1,703,650    " 

October 

2,767,0.50    " 

May  .     . 

.     .     2,879,770    " 

November 

3,074,170    " 

June 

.     .     4,773,800    " 

December 

4,289,930    " 

July  .     . 

.     .     7,347,680    " 

January     . 

2,265,620    " 

August 

.     .     5,338,600    " 

February    . 

1,812,170    " 

The    water   pumped   since    the  works    started   is    as 
follows :  — 


For  year  ending  March  1,  1893 

"  "  "      "  1894 

"       "  "  "      "  1895 


20,374,640  gallons. 
36,958,560         " 
42,030,790         " 


In  their  annual  Report  for  1895,  the  Commissioners 
made  the  following  weighty  and  important  suggestions : 

It  is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  a  community  should 
never  lose  sight  of  the  possibility  that  it  may  at  some  time 
need  more  water,  and  should  know  where  and  how  it  may  be 
obtained,  so  as  to  meet  the  emergency  when  it  comes.  The 
inevitable  growth  of  a  town  like  Manchester  will  surely  repeat 
the  experience  of  many  towns  and  cities,  as  shown  in  the  re- 
ports of  their  Water  Boards.  At  first  we  anticipated  a  maxi- 
mum consumption  of  200,000  gallons  a  day,  allowing  sixty 
gallons  per  capita;  and  yet  last  summer  we  reached  a  maxi- 


368  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTEB. 

mum  of  double  that  amount.  We  have  fifty-eight  more  takers 
than  a  year  ago;  and  new  houses  and  larger  demands  are  every 
year  emphasizing  the  need  of  adopting  some  means  of  increas- 
ing our  water  supply. 

Whether  we  are  obtaining  the  entire  yield  in  summer  of  the 
subterranean  sources  of  our  well,  and  getting  all  the  under- 
ground water  available,  cannot  readily  be  ascertained  without 
further  testing  the  area  of  the  water-shed  or  the  adjacent  ter- 
ritory by  the  driving  of  tubular  wells.  We  believe  and  ear- 
nestly recommend  that  such  tests  should  be  made  immedi- 
ately with  a  view  to  obtaining  a  further  supply  of  ground- 
water; and  such  wells  as  are  found  to  yield  sufficiently  should 
be  connected  as  far  as  practicable  for  the  purpose  of  reenforc- 
ing  our  present  collecting-well. 

For  nine  months  of  the  year  our  present  supply  is,  and  may  be 
always  ample.  But,  for  a  town  whose  population  and  consump- 
tion of  water  are  enormously  increased  during  the  three  sum- 
mer months,  a  storage  basin  may  in  the  end  afford  the  sim- 
plest, surest  and  most  economical  method  of  providing  an  in- 
crease of  our  supply  for  summer  use.  Very  likely  the  reen- 
f  orcement  of  the  present  supply  by  a  system  of  connected  tubu- 
lar wells  may  prove  sufficient  for  some  time  to  come;  but 
there  are  uncertainties  which  it  is  the  part  of  prudence  and 
foresight  to  recognize. 

We  would  recommend,  therefore,  that  the  town  authorize 
its  Water  Commissioners  to  have  made  surveys  and  maps  of 
the  territory  and  valley  of  the  water-shed  above  our  well,  and 
to  present  a  report  thereon  at  some  subsequent  town  meeting; 
and  that  the  town  appropriate  the  sum  of  $1,000  for  the  pur- 
pose and  such  further  sum  out  of  the  water  rates  of  the  com- 
ing year  as  the  Water  Board  may  find  necessary  for  the  proper 
performance  of  the  work. 

Finally,  we  recommend  that  in  case  any  petition  is  pre- 
sented to  the  legislature  for  the  right  to  take  water  from  any 
or  all  of  the  Chebacco  group  of  ponds,  so  called,  your  Water 
Commissioners  be  empowered  to  appear  before  the  legislature 
to  obtain  such  legislation  as  may  be  necessary  or  desirable  to 
reserve  and  secure  to  the  town  of  Manchester  the  right  at  any 
time  to  take  water  from  Gravelly  Pond  in  the  town  of  Hamilton. 

These  recommendations  were  adopted  by  the  town, 
March  19,  1895. 


APPENDIX    M.  369 

In  the  summer  of  1892,  the  \Yater  Works  being  prac- 
tically completed  and  in  successful  operation,  it  was 
decided  to  have  a  celebration  in  commemoration  of  so 
signal  an  event.  Arrangements  were  accordingly  made 
to  this  effect,  and  carried  out  under  the  direction  of  a 
large  and  efficient  Committee,  of  which  Charles  A. 
Prince  was  Chairman,  on  Thursday,  August  18th.  The 
daj'  was  one  of  the  most  perfect  of  the  season,  and  the 
Celebration  was  in  every  way  a  success,  worthy  of  the 
town  and  of  the  great  public  enterprise  of  which  it  was 
the  fitting  conclusion.  The  entire  Programme  is  given 
below  from  the  beautiful  Souvenirs  distributed  on  this 
occasion. 


o  OFFICIAL  PROGRAMME  © 

Manchester  Water  Celebration, 

1892. 

PARADE. 

At  2  o'clock  P.  M.,  over  the  following  route: 

Procession  will  start  on  Masconomo  St.,  at  junction  of  Proc- 
tor St.,  2^ass  through  Masconomo  to  Beach,  Beach  to  Union, 
Washington  and  Summer  Sts.  to  the  Row  School/iouse  ;  counter- 
march and  return  through  Washington  to  North  and  School,  as 
far  as  Pleasant  St.;  countermarch  through  School,  Central  and 
Bridge  to  Bennet,  thence  to  Centred  through  Union,  down  Beach 
St.  and  dismiss  at  the  Station. 

Procession  composed  of  Germania  Band,  Baldwin's  Cadet 
Band,  Gloucester  Light  Infantry  and  Beverly  Light  Infantry 
Companies,  under  the  command  of  Major  Pew,  Allen  Post, 


370  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

No.  67,  G.  A.  R.,  Sons  of  Veterans,  Fire  Department,  Barges 
with  school  children,  Magnolia  Lodge,  No.  149,  I.  O.  O.  F., 
Ladies'  Relief  Corps,  coaches  and  private  carriages  decorated 
with  flowers  and  bunting,  and  teams  of  the  business  men  of 
the  town. 

CIVIC  EXERCISES 

Will  take   place    on   the    Common,  at   3.30  o'clock,  consisting 
of  the  following  programme. 

C.  A.  PRINCE,  Chairman  of  the  Permanent  Committee 
Presidiny. 

MUSIC £y  the  Bands 

PRA  i'ER,  liy  Rev.  Daniel  Marvin 

SINGING-Hirjh  School  March Bij  the  Children 

OFFERIXO  OF  RESOLUTIONS  TO  THE 

WATER  COMMISSIONERS,  .    Drawn  by  the  Rev.  J).  F.  Lamson 

MOTION  TO  ABORT  THE  RESOLUTIONS,  .        .    By  H.  C.  Leach 

MOTION  SECONDED,      By  A.  S.  Jewett,  Chairman  Board  of  Selectmen 

RESPONSE, By  the  Water  Commissioners 

SINGING— An  Original  Ode By  the  Children 

ADDRESS, By  R.H.  Dana,  Esq. 

MUSIC, By  the  Band 

ADDRESS,  .        .    By  His  Excellency,  Governor  William  E.  Russell 

MUSIC, By  the  Band 

ADDRESS,  .  By  His  Honor,  Mayor  Robert  S.  Rantoul,  of  Salem 
SINGING—"  Gently  Fall  the  Dews  of  Eve,"  .        .    By  the  Children 

RECITATION—''  Our  Treasure  from  the  Flowing  Spri7ii/.'<," 

By  Joseph  Proctor 

(Original  Ode,  by  Mrs.  L.  F.  Allen.) 

DOXOLOGY,     ....         Sung  by  the  assembly  led  by  the  bands 

"  Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings  flow,"  etc. 


EXHIBITION 

By  the  Fire  Department,  at  4.30  o'clock,  on  the  Common. 


oEbcning, 


RIVER  CARNIVAL 

To  commence  at  8  o'clock. 
Flotilla  of  Boats,  illuminated  with  lanterns  and  lights,  to 
start  from  near  the  railroad,  go  down  into  the   harbor  and 
return. 


APPENDIX   M.  371 

Near  the  Town  Hall  will  be  a  temporary  fountain  which 
will  play  during  the  afternoon,  and  in  the  evening  the  water 
will  be  illuminated  with  colored  lights. 


BAND  CONCERT 

During  the  evening  by  both  bands. 

A  complete  history  of  the  Water  Works  from  their 
first  inception,  including  Tables  of  Construction,  Cost, 
Analyses  of  the  Water,  etc.,  is  contained  in  the  Reports 
of  the  original  Committee  and  those  of  the  Water  Com- 
missioners, seriatim.  For  fulness,  clearness  of  arrange- 
ment and  general  style  of  execution,  these  Reports  are 
models  of  their  kind,  and  leave  nothing  to  be 
desired. 

The  efficiency  of  the  Water  Service  has  been  tested  at 
fires  more  than  once,  especially  on  Nov.  16,  1894,  at  the 
burning  of  the  buildings  of  Roberts  and  Hoare  on  North 
street,  a  conflagration  which  threatened  most  serious 
consequences ;  and  it  has  been  shown  that  the  service  is 
indispensable  to  the  public  safety  as  well  as  to  health 
and  comfort. 


APPENDIX   N. 


Lists  of  Selectmen",  Towx  Cleeks,  Representatives, 
ETC.     1645-1895. 

Selectmex.      1645-1895. 

This  list,  it  will  be  seen,  is  defective  in  the  earlier  years,  owing  to  the 
loss  of  the  records. 

1645.  John  Sibley,  William  Allen,  John  Norman. 

1658.  Pasco  Foote,  John  Sibley,  Eobert  Leach. 

1660.  William  Bennett,  Robert  Leach. 

1661.  John  Pickworth,  Samuel  Friend,  Piobert  Leach. 
1668.  Thomas  Jones,  William  Allen,  Samuel  Friend. 
1672.  William  Bennett,  John  Sibley,  Samuel  Friend. 
1676.  William  Bennett,  Samuel  Allen,  Samuel  Friend. 
1680.  Eobert  Leach,  John  Lee,  Isaac  Whitchar. 
1684.  Robert  Leach,  John  Elithorpe,  Thomas  West. 

1686.  Robert  Knight,  Samuel  Leach,  John  Lee. 

1687.  John  Sibley,  John  Elithorpe,  Robert  Leach. 

1688.  John  Sibley,  Robert  Leach,  John  Elithorpe. 

1689.  Aaron  Bennett,  Thomas  Tewksbury. 

1690.  Samuel  Leach,  Samuel  Allen,  John  Sibley. 

1691.  Thomas  West,  Robert  Leach,  John  Lee. 

1692.  John  Sibley,  John  Elithorpe,  Thomas  Tewksbury. 

1693.  Samuel  Allen,  Thomas  West,  Thomas  Tewksbury. 
1094.  John  Sibley,  Robert  Leach,  John  Lee,  John  Elithorpe. 

1695.  Joseph  Woodbury,  Thomas  West,  John  Sibley. 

1696.  Robert  Leach,  John  Lee,  Isaac  Whitchar. 
1097.     John  Sibley,  John  Lee,  James  Pittman. 

1698.  Robert  Leach,  George  Norton,  Thomas  West. 

1699.  John  Sibley,  Thomas  West,  Richard  Walker. 

1700.  Robert  Leach,  Samuel  Lee,  John  Knowlton. 

1701.  John  Sibley,  Robert  Leach,  John  Lee. 

1702.  John  Lee,  Robert  Leach,  John  Allen. 

373 


374  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

1705.  Aaron  Bennett,  Robert  Leach,  John  Knowlton. 

1707.  Samuel  Leach,  Samuel  Lee,  John  Knowlton. 

1708.  John  Sibley,  Robert  Leach,  John  Knowlton. 

1714.  Samuel  Lee,  Samuel  Leach,  Benjamin  Allen. 

1715.  William  Hilton,  Aaron  Bennett,  Samuel  Lee. 

1717.  Robert  Leach,  Thomas  Pittman,  John  Lee,  Jun. 

1718.  John  Knowlton,  Aaron  Bennett,  John  Lee,  Jun. 

1719.  Samuel  Lee,  Richard  Leach,  John  Lee,  Jun. 

1720.  John  Foster,  Aaron  Bennett,  John  Lee,  Jun. 

1721.  Benjamin  Allen,  John  Foster,  Samuel  Lee. 

1722.  Richard  Leach,  John  Foster,  John  Lee,  Jun. 

1723.  Samuel  Lee,  John  Foster,  John  Lee,  Jun. 

1724.  William  Hooper,  John  Foster,  Jabez  Dodge. 

1725.  Benjamin  Allen,  John  Foster,  John  Lee. 

1726.  Samuel  Lee,  John  Foster,  Aaron  Bennett. 

1727.  John  Foster,  Thomas  Lee,  Samuel  Lee. 

1728.  John  Foster,  Nathaniel  Marsters,  Samuel  Lee. 

1729.  John  Foster,  Nathaniel  Marsters,  Samuel  Lee. 

1730.  John  Foster,  Richard  Coy,  Samuel  Lee. 

1731.  John  Foster,  Aaron  Bennett,  Thomas  Lee. 

1732.  John  Foster,  Ezekiel  Goodell,  Thomas  Lee. 

1733.  John  Foster,  Samuel  Lee,  Thomas  Lee. 

1734.  Benjamin  Allen,  Samuel  Lee,  Richard  Coy. 

1735.  John  Foster,  Benjamin  Allen,  Thomas  Lee. 

1736.  John  Foster,  Samuel  Lee,  John  Lee. 

1737.  Robert  Herrick,  Jeremiah  Hibbard,  Richard  Coy. 

1738.  Richard  Coy,  John  Lee,  Robert  Herrick. 

1739.  Richard  Coy,  John  Lee,  Samuel  Lee. 

1740.  John  Foster,  Robert  Herrick,  Benjamin  Bresson. 

1741.  John  Lee,  Richard  Coy,  Thomas  Lee. 

1742.  John  Lee,  Richard  Coy,  Robert  Herrick. 

1743.  Robert  Herrick,  John  Lee,  John  Lee,  od. 

1744.  Robert  Herrick,  Jonathan  Herrick,  John  Lee. 

1746.  Robert  Herrick,  Jonathan  Herrick,  John  Lee. 

1747.  Jonathan  Herrick,  Thomas  Lee,  John  Lee. 

1748.  Jonathan  Herrick,  Andrew  Hooper,  Benjamin  Lee. 

1749.  Jonathan  Hooper,  Andrew  Hoojjer,  John  Lee. 

1750.  Jonathan  Herrick,  Andrew  Hooper,  John  Lee. 

1751.  Jonathan  Herrick,  John  Lee,  Thomas  Lee. 

1753.  John  Lee,  Thomas  Lee,  Samuel  Lee,  Jonathan  Herrick, 

Samuel  Allen. 

1754.  John  Lee,  Thomas  Lee,  Benjamin  Lee,  Samuel  Lee. 


APPENDIX   N.  375 

1755.  John  Lee,  Benjamin  Lee,  Jonathan  Herrick. 

1756.  John  Lee,  John  Foster,  .Jonathan  Herrick. 

1757.  John  Lee,  John  Foster,  Jonathan  Herrick. 

1758.  Benjamin  Kimball,  John  Foster,  Jonathan  Herrick. 

1759.  Benjamin  Kimball,  Thomas  Lee,  John  Allen. 

1760.  Benjamin  Kimball,  John  Foster,  John  Tewksbury. 

1761.  Benjamin  Kimball,  John  Foster,  John  Tewksbury. 

1762.  Joseph  Whipple,  Jonathan  Herrick,  John  Allen. 

1763.  Joseph  Whipple,  Jonathan  Herrick,  John  Allen. 

1764.  Joseph  Whipple,  John  Tewksbury,  John  Allen. 

1765.  Joseph  Whipple,  John  Tewksbury,  John  Allen. 

1766.  Joseph  Whipple,  John  Tewksbury,  John  Allen. 

1767.  Jonathan  Herrick,  John  Allen,  John  Tewksbury. 

1768.  John  Tewksbury,  Andrew  Woodbury,  John  Allen. 

1769.  John  Tewksbury,  Andrew  Woodbury,  John  Allen. 

1770.  Aaron  Lee,  Jonathan  Herrick,  Benjamin  Kimball. 

1771.  Aaron  Lee,  Andrew  Marsters,  Benjamin  Kimball. 

1772.  Jonathan  Herrick,  Andrew  Marsters,  Benjamin  Kimball. 

1773.  Aaron  Lee,  Jacob  Hooper,  Benjamin  Kimball. 

1774.  Jonathan  Herrick,   Andrew   Woodbury,  John  Tewks- 

bury. 

1775.  Andrew  Woodbury,  Eleazer  Crafts,  John  Tewksbury. 

1776.  John  Cheever,  Eleazer  Crafts,  John  Edwards. 

1777.  John  Allen,  William  Tuck,  Jonathan  Herrick. 

1778.  Eleazer  Crafts,  John  Cheever,  Jonathan  Herrick. 

1779.  Eleazer  Crafts,  John  Cheever,  John  Allen. 

1780.  Eleazer  Crafts,  Aaron  Lee,  John  Allen. 

1781.  Eleazer  Crafts,  Aaron  Lee,  John  Allen. 

1782.  Isaac  Proctor,  Aaron  Lee,  Eleazer  Crafts. 

1783.  Francis  Crafts,  Aaron  Lee,  Eleazer  Crafts. 

1784.  Eleazer  Crafts,  Aaron  Lee,  Francis  Crafts. 

1785.  Eleazer  Crafts,  Aaron  Lee,  Isaac  Lee. 

1786.  William  Tuck,  John  Cheever,  Francis  Crafts. 

1787.  William  Tuck,  John  Cheever,  Francis  Crafts. 

1788.  William  Tuck,  John  Cheever,  Francis  Crafts. 

1789.  William  Tuck,  Eleazer  Crafts,  Francis  Crafts. 

1790.  William  Tuck,  Francis  Crafts,  Henry  Story. 

1791.  William  Tuck,  Francis  Crafts,  Isaac  Lee. 

1792.  William  Tuck,  Francis  Crafts,  Isaac  Lee. 

1793.  Ebenezer  Tappan,  Francis  Crafts,  Aaron  Lee. 

1794.  Isaac  Lee,  Aaron  Lee,  Delucena  L.  Bingham. 

1795.  William  Tuck,  Benjamin  Ober,  Delucena  L.  Bingham. 


376  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

1796.  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Aaron  Lee,  Benjamin  Ober. 

1797.  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Aaron  Lee,  Benjamin  Ober. 

1798.  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Benjamin  Ober,  Samuel  Bennett. 

1799.  Henry  Story,  Aaron  Lee,  John  Knight. 

1800.  Henry  Story,  Aaron  Lee,  Francis  Crafts. 

1801.  Ezekiel  Leach,  David  Colby,  Delucena  L.  Bingham. 

1802.  Henry  Story,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Benjamin  Foster. 

1803.  Henry  Story,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Benjamin  Foster. 

1804.  Israel  Foster,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  William  Tuck. 

1805.  Israel  Foster,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Henry  Lee. 

1806.  Israel  Foster,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Henry  Lee. 

1807.  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Henry  Lee,  Ebenezer  Tappan. 

1808.  Israel  Foster,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Henry  Story. 

1809.  Israel  Foster,  Tyler  Parsons,  Obed  Carter. 

1810.  Israel  Foster,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Burley  Smith. 

1811.  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Tyler  Parsons,  David  Crafts. 

1812.  Israel  Foster,  Henry  Lee,  Obed  Carter. 

1813.  Israel  Foster,  Andrew  Marsters,  David  Crafts. 

1814.  David  Crafts,  Tyler  Parsons,  John  Knight. 

1815.  Israel  Foster,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Henry  Lee. 

1816.  Israel  Foster,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Henry  Lee. 

1817.  Israel  Foster,  Delucena  L.  Bingham,  Tyler  Parsons. 

1818.  Israel  Foster,  Tyler  Parsons,  John  Hooper. 

1819.  Israel  Foster,  Andrew  Marsters,  John  Cheever. 

1820.  Israel  Foster,  John  Cheever,  David  Crafts. 

1821.  Isi-ael  Foster,  John  Lee,  John  Cheever. 

1822.  Israel  Foster,  Tyler  Parsons,  John  Cheever. 

1823.  Israel  Foster,  John  Knight,  John  Cheever. 

1824.  Israel  Foster,  John  Knight,  John  Cheever. 

1825.  Tyler  Parsons,  Thomas  Leach,  Richard  Allen, 

1826.  Tyler  Parsons,  Richard  Allen,  Andrew  Marsters. 

1827.  Tyler  Parsons,  Thomas  Leach,  Andrew  Marsters. 

1828.  Andrew  Marsters,  Samuel  Cheever,  John  P.  Allen. 

1829.  Andrew  Marsters,  Samuel  Cheever,  John  P.  Alien. 

1830.  Andrew  Marsters,  Jonathan  Hassara,  Samuel  Cheever. 

1831.  Andrew  Marsters,  Amos  Hilton,  Israel  F.  Tappan. 

1832.  Israel  Foster,  John  W.  Allen,  Israel  F.  Tappan. 

1833.  Israel  F.  Tappan,  John  W.  Allen,  Daniel  Leach. 

1834.  Israel  F.  Tappan,  John  W.  Allen,  Daniel  Leach. 

1835.  John  W.  Allen,  Daniel  Leach,  Ariel  P.  Crowell. 

1836.  Benjamin  Leach,  Daniel  Leach,  Samuel  Cheever. 

1837.  John  W.  Allen,  Israel  F.  Tappan,  A.  P.  Crowell. 


APPENDIX    N.  377 

1838.  Samuel  Cheever,  Beajamin  Leach,  3d.,  Albert  E.  Low. 

1839.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  A.  E.  Low,  A.  P.  Crowell,  John 

Lee. 

1840.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  David  Crafts,  John  Lee. 

1841.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  David  Crafts,  John  Lee. 

1842.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  Jonathan  Hassam,  John  Lee. 

1843.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  John  Lee,  Jonathan  Hassam. 

1844.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  Samuel  Cheever,  Henry  P.  Allen. 

1845.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  Samuel  Cheever,  Henry  P.  Allen. 

1846.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  Henry  P.  Allen,  A.  E.  Low. 

1847.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  Henry  P.  Allen,  Isaac  S.  West. 

1848.  Benjamin  Leach,  2d,  Stephen  Story,  John  Girdler,  2d. 

1849.  John  Lee,  John  Girdler,  2d,  Luther  Allen. 

1850.  John  Lee,  John  Girdlei-,  2d,  Luther  Allen. 

1851.  Luther  Bingham,  Isaac  S.  "West,  John  C.  Long. 

1852.  John  C.  Long,  Samuel  Cheever,  Philip  C.  Wheeler. 

1853.  John  Lee,  Philip  C.  Wheeler,  A.  E.  Low. 

1854.  John  Lee,  Samuel  Cheever,  John  W.  Allen. 

1855.  PhiUp  C.  Wheeler,  A.  W.  Smith,  A.  E.  Low. 

1856.  A.  E.  Low,  A.  P.  Crowell,  J.  P.  Gentlee. 

1857.  A.  E.  Low,  A.  P.  Crowell,  J.  P.  Gentlee. 

1858.  A.  E.  Low,  A.  P.  Crowell,  J.  P.  Gentlee. 

1859.  A.  E.  Low,  John  Lee,  Samuel  Crowell. 

1860.  John  Lee,  Samuel  Crowell,  John  Price. 

1861.  John  Lee,  John  Price,  Aaron  Bennett. 

1862.  John  Price,  A.  E.  Low,  Aaron  Bennett. 

1863.  John  Price,  Aaron  Bennett,  George  F.  Allen. 

1864.  Aaron  Bennett,  George  F.  Allen,  George  F.  Rust. 

1865.  George  F.  Allen,  Aaron  Bennett,  Albion  W.  Gilman. 

1866.  George  F.  Allen,  Aaron  Bennett,  A.  W.  Jewett. 

1867.  George  F.  Allen,  A.  E.  Low,  Aaron  Bennett. 

1868.  John  Lee,  Aaron  Bennett,  A.  W.  Smith. 

1869.  John  Lee,  Aaron  Bennett,  A.  W.  Smith. 

1870.  John  Lee,  John  H.  Cheever,  William  A.  Stone. 

1871.  John  Lee,  John  H.  Cheever,  William  A.  Stone. 

1872.  John  Lee,  John  11.  Cheever,  William  A.  Stone. 

1873.  John  Lee,  John  H.  Cheever,  William  A.  Stone. 

1874.  John  Lee,  Amos  F.  Bennett,  Samuel  Knight. 

1875.  John  Lee,  Amos  F.  Bennett,  Samuel  Knight. 

1876.  John  Lee,  William  A.  Stone,  Samuel  Knight. 

1877.  John  Lee,  Henry  T.  Bingham,  Samuel  Knight. 

1878.  John  Lee,  John  H.  Cheever,  William  A.  Stone. 


378  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

1879.  John  Lee,  William  A.  Stone,  John  H.  Cheever,  Albion 

W.  Gilraan. 

1880.  William  A.  Stone,  J.  H.  Cheever,  Albion  W.  Gilman. 

1881.  William  A.  Stone,  J.  H.  Cheever,  Albion  W.  Gilman. 

1882.  William  A.  Stone,  J.  H.  Cheever,  Albion  W.  Gilman. 

1883.  J.  H.  Cheever,  H.  T.  Bingham,  Daniel  W.  Friend. 

1884.  J.  H.  Cheever,  H.  T.  Bingham,  W.  A.  Stone. 

1885.  J.  H.  Cheever,  H.  T.  Bingham,  Samuel  Knight. 

1886.  J.  H.  Cheever,  H.  T.  Bingham,  W.  A.  Stone. 

1887.  Samuel  Knight,  Edward  A.  Lane,  N.  P.  Meldram. 

1888.  H.  T.  Bingham,  N.  P.  Meldram,  N.  C.  Marshall. 

1889.  H.  T.  Bingham,  N.  P.  Meldram,  J.  H.  Cheever. 

1890.  A.  S.  Jewett,  W.  J.  Johnson,  B.  S.  Bullock. 

1891.  A.  S.  Jewett,  B.  S.  Bullock,  Edward  S.  Knight. 

1892.  A.  S.  Jewett,  B.  S.  Bullock,  E.  S.  Knight. 

1893.  A.  S.  Jewett,  B.  S.  Bullock,  E.  S.  Knight. 

1894.  A,.  S.  Jewett,  B.  S.  Bullock,  H.  T.  Bingham. 

1895.  A.  S.  Jewett,  H.  T.  Bingham,  Jeffrey  T.  Stanley. 

Town  Clerks.     1G45-1895. 

1645.  Robert  Leach.  1767-69.  John  Tewksbury. 

1658.  "  Goodman"  Jones.  1770-73.  Benjamin  Kimball. 

1680.  Samuel  Friend.  1774,  '75.  John  Tewksbury. 

1684-91.  John  Lee.  1776.  Jacob  Tewksbury. 

1692-94.  Thos.  Tewksbury.  1777,  '78.  John  Allen. 

1695-1708.  John  Lee.  1779-1800.  Aaron  Lee. 

1714.  John  Knowlton.  1801.  Delucena  L.  Bingham. 

1715.  John  Lee.  1802-06.  Aaron  Lee. 
1717-23.  John  Lee,  Jr.  1807-19.  Delucena  L.  Bingham. 
1724.  Jabez  Dodge.  1820.  Joseph  Hooper. 
1725-38.  Samuel  Lee.  1821-37.  Delucena  L.  Bingham. 

1739.  John  Lee.  1838-43.  JohnC.  Long. 

1740.  Samuel  Allen.  1844-54.  John  Lee. 
1741-46.  John  Lee,  Jr.  1855-57.  John  Price. 
1747.  Richard  Lee.  1858.  George  F.  Allen. 
1748-53.  Benjamin  Lee.  1859-61.  John  Lee. 
1754,  '55.  Jonathan  Herrick.  1862-67.  George  F.  Allen. 
1756.  Benjamin  Lee.  1868-79.  John  Lee. 
1757-63.  Benjamin  Kimball,  1880.  John  Price. 
1764-66.  Joseph  Whipple.  1881-87.  William  A.  Stone. 

1888  —  A.  S.  Jewett. 


APPENDIX   N. 


379 


Representatives  and  Senators.     1665-1895. 


REPRESENTATIVES. 


Thomas  "West, 

1665. 

David  Crafts, 

1839, 

Thomas  West, 

1672. 

Arba  Burnham, 

1840. 

Thomas  Tewksbury, 

1692. 

Samuel  Cheever, 

1841. 

Thomas  Tewksbury, 

1693. 

Amos  Hill, 

1842. 

John  Sibley, 

1701. 

Ebenezer  Tappan,  Ji-., 

1843. 

Thomas  West, 

1702. 

Albert  E.  Low, 

1844. 

John  Knowlton, 

1717. 

John  Lee, 

1847. 

Jonathan  Herrick, 

1756. 

John  Lee, 

1848. 

Eleazer  Craft, 

1773. 

Stephen  Story, 

1849. 

Andrew  Woodbury, 

1774. 

Samuel  0.  Boardman, 

1850. 

"William  Tuck, 

1777. 

John  Girdler, 

1851. 

Eleazer  Craft, 

1779. 

Daniel  W.  Friend, 

1852. 

William  Tuck, 

1806. 

George  A.  Brown, 

1855. 

Henry  Story, 

1808. 

Albert  E.  Low, 

1856. 

Israel  Forster, 

1810. 

Larkin  Woodbury, 

1857. 

Ebenezer  Tappan, 

1811. 

Luther  Allen, 

1859. 

David  Colby, 

1812. 

Charles  "W.  Reding, 

1801. 

Delucena  L.  Bingham, 

1824. 

Daniel  Leach,  Jr., 

1863. 

John  Cheever, 

1829. 

"William  \V.  Hooper, 

1865. 

Daniel  Annable, 

1830. 

John  Lee, 

1868. 

John  Knight, 

1832. 

Lewis  N.  Tappan, 

1877. 

John  W.  Allen, 

1833. 

"William  H.  Tappan, 

1881. 

John  E.  Bohonon, 

1834. 

John  H.  Cheever, 

1883. 

Benjamin  Leach, 

1835. 

JefCrey  F.  Stanley, 

1887. 

A.  P.  Crowell, 

1836. 

Henry  T.  Bingham, 

1891. 

Israel  Forster, 

1837. 

Benjamin  S.  Bullock, 

1895. 

Joseph  Hooper, 

1838. 

SENATORS. 

Charles  Fitz,  1874  and  1875. 
William  H.  Tappan,  1885  and  1886. 

One  family  has  been  represented  in  the  councils  of  the  State 
in  three  generations: 

Ebenezer  Tappan,  1811. 
Ebenezer  Tappan,  Jr.,  1843. 
Lewis  N.  Tappan,  1877. 
William  H.  Tappan,  1881,  '85,  '86. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


The  Two  Hundred  and  Fiftieth 
Anniversary. 


JULY  l8,  1895. 


THE   SAME   TIDES    FLOW. 

Song,  with  Music,  composed  by  Prof.  N.  B.  Sargent. 

Sung  at  the  Celebration. 


O'er  the  rugged  hills  so  grand, 

Now  to  us  a  joy  and  pride ; 
And  along  the  rocky  strand, 

Where  we  watch  the  rolling  tide ; 
Masconomo,  chieftain  hold. 

With  his  arrows  and  his  bow. 
Used  to  wander,  we've  been  told. 

Many  years  ago. 

REFRAIN. 

But  the  same  tides  flow, 
And  the  same  stars  glow; 

And  the  waves  sing  the  same  wild  glee. 
Just  the  same  the  seabird's  screech. 
And  the  Shining  Singing  Beach 

Takes  the  kisses  of  the  same  old  sea. 

But  the  Iiadian  Hunting  Ground 

Has  become  a  garden  fair; 
Where  the  wigwam  once  was  found. 

Stands  the  mansion,  rich  and  rare. 
Wealth  and  skill  have  brought  their  power. 

Everywhere  their  work  we  see; 
Love  and  beauty  grace  the  bower. 

This  is  Eden  by  the  sea. 

REFRAIN. 

Now  the  school  is  on  the  hill. 

And  the  church  is  in  the  vale, 
And  our  homes  with  light  they  fill, 

Brightest  hopes  that  cannot  fail. 
They  have  been  the  beacon  light 

As  the  years  have  passed  away. 
Brought  us  from  the  gloom  of  night 

To  the  splendors  of  the  day. 

REFRAIN. 


THE    TWO    HUNDRED    AND    FIFTIETH 
ANNIVERSARY. 


The  following  extract  from  the  Colonial  Records 
fixes  the  birthday  of  the  Town  beyond  question. 

June  18,  1645.  Att  y*  request  of  y"  inhabitants  of  Jeof- 
feryes  Creeke,  this  Courte  doth  graunt  y'  y"  said  Jeofferyes 
Creeke  henceforward  shall  be  called  Manchester. 

In  the  margin  is  the  note  "  by  both  Houses."  The 
entry  under  May  14, 

It  is  ordered,  y'  Jeffryes  Creeke  shalbe  called  Manchester, 

does  not  give  the  real  date,  as  this  records  only  the  ac- 
tion of  one  branch  of  the  General  Court. 

As  before  stated  (page  23),  this  is  the  only  Act  of 
Incorporation  of  the  Town  in  existence.  But  the 
Town's  corporate  rights  are  here  recognized,  and  at 
this  date  —  June  18,  1645  —  its  history  as  a  Town  may 
be  said  to  begin. 

Arrangements  for  the  Celebration  of  the  250th  Anni- 
versary began  with  the  appointment  of  a  General  Com- 
mittee on  the  Celebration,  at  the  March  meeting, 
1894. 

General  Committee. 


A.  E.  Low, 

D.  L.  Bingham, 

G.  F.  Allen, 

D.  F.  Laiuson, 

Samuel  Knight, 

T.  J.  Coolidge,  Jr. 

O.  T.  Roberts, 


E.  C.  Lincoln, 
W.  H.  Allen, 
C.  C.  Dodge, 
W.  J.  Johnson, 
Charles  O.  Lee, 
John  Baker, 
Daniel  Leach, 
L.  F.  Allen. 


William  H.  Tappan, 
A.  S.  Jewett, 
H.  P.  Kitfield, 
Russell  Sturgis, 
H.  T.  Bingham, 
F.  K.  Hooper, 
A.  F.  Bennett, 


383 


384 


HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 


The    following   Committees    were    subsequently   ap- 
pointed by  the  General  Committee  : 


Samuel  Knight, 
Alfred  S.  Jewett, 
Henry  P.  Kitfield, 
Franklin  K.  Hooper, 


William  H.  Tappan, 
R.  C.  Lincoln, 


Execitta-e. 


William  J.  Johnson, 
George  F.  Allen, 
Isaac  S.  West, 
Oliver  T.  Roberts. 


Historical. 

D.  r.  Lamsou, 
D.  L.  Bingham. 


A.  S.  Jewett, 


D.  L.  Bingham, 
H.  T.  Bingham. 
Daniel  Leach, 


H.  C.  Leach, 
T.  J.  Coolidge, 


Invitation  and  Reception. 

William  H.  Allen, 
C.  C.  Dodge, 
George  F.  Allen, 

Literary  Exercises. 

R.  C.  Lincoln, 
George  Wigglesworth. 


F.  B.  Rust, 
B.  S.  Bullock, 
George  L.  Allen. 


A.  S.  Jewett, 


Russell  Sturgis, 
H.  L.  Higginson, 
H.  W.  Cunningham, 
F.  M.  Stanwood, 
Gordon  Prince, 
W.  L.  Dickson, 


Samuel  Knight, 
John  A.  Burnham, 
Henry  S.  Grew, 


H.  T.  Bingham, 
Gerald  Wyman, 


Parade. 

T.  D.  Boardman, 
J.  T.  Stanley, 
Enoch  Crombie, 
E.  P.  Stanley, 
S.  L.  Wheaton, 
Edward  Robinson, 
Charles  S.  Hanks. 
Gov.  Winthrop  Party. 

Caleb  A.  Curtis, 
T.  J.  Coolidge,  Jr., 
H.  P.  Kitfield. 

Banquet. 

G.  A.  Kitfield, 
E.  A.  Lane, 
B.  S.  Bullock. 


SUPPLEMENT. 


385 


Illumination,  Fireioorks  and  Salute. 

Oliver  T.  Koberts,  C.  L.  Hoyt, 

Charles  P.  Crombie, 


F.  J.  Merrill, 
C.  C.  Dodge, 
Ed.  S.  Knight, 
John  W.  Marshall, 


E.  F,  Preston, 
George  A.  Kitfield, 
James  Hoare 


Art  and  Loan  Exhibit. 


Mrs.  John  Baker, 
Miss  Lila  G.  Goldsmith, 
Mr.  G.  W.  Jewett, 
Miss  E.  Grace  Kitfield, 
Miss  Annie  Clarke, 
Mr.  John  Baker, 
Mrs.  G.  W.  Beaman, 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Alleu, 
Mr.  Andrew  Lee,  2d, 
Miss  Etta  L.  Kabardy, 

Mr. 


X.  B.  Sargent, 
A.  B.  Palmer, 
F.  K.  Swett, 


T.  W.  Long, 


Mrs.  Charlotte  Brown, 
Mr.  J.  F.  Rabardy, 
Miss  Florence  G.  Lamson, 
Mr.  J.  H.  Kitfield, 
Miss  Hattie  P.  Knight, 
Mr.  G.  W.  Beaman, 
Mrs.  C.  W.  Sawyer, 
Mrs.  C.  S.  Hanks, 
Mrs.  H.  L.  Higginson. 
Miss  Mary  L.  Ballard, 
Charles  O.  Lee. 


Musical  Exercises. 


A.  P.  Richardson, 
A.  C.  Xeedham, 
L.  F.  Allen. 


Bands. 
Charles  H.  Stone, 


T.  C.  Rowe. 


D.  F.  Lamson, 

A.  E.  Low, 

D.  L.  Bingham, 


Tablets. 


John  Baker, 
Charles  O.  Lee, 
W.  H.  Tappan. 


Edward  Robinson, 
John  Allen, 


Decoratiuns. 


John  Scott, 
I.  S.  West. 


Rev.  D.  F.  Lamson, 
Rev.  F.  A.  Fate, 


Sunday  Services. 

Cluules  H.  Jcilinsun, 
T.  B.  Stone, 


D.  B.  Kimball, 
L.  F.  Allen. 


386  HISTOKY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

Indian  Tribes. 

George  S.  Sinnicks,         I.  M.  Marshall,  Lewis  Andrews, 

C.  L.  Hoyt,  David  E.  Butler,       Leonard  Andrews, 

Charles  O.  Howe. 

Reception  of  the  Press. 
I.  M.  Marshall,  F.  G.  Cheever,  L.  W.  Floyd. 

Information  and  Begistration. 
N.  P.  Meldram,  J.  H.  Rivers,  E.  P.  Crooker. 

Transportation. 
Frank  P.  Knight,  E.  P.  Crooker,  "William  Doogue. 

Grand  Stand  and  Doric  Columns. 
"William  J.  Johnson,  E.  A.  Lane,  "W.  H.  Allen. 

The  opening  exercises  of  the  Celebration  took  place 
on  Sunday,  July  14,  in  the  form  of  a  Commemorative 
Service,  in  the  Congregational  church,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Committee  on  Sunday  Services.  Rev.  D.  F, 
Lamson,  Chairman  of  the  Committee,  presided  and  made 
a  brief  address;  Rev.  F.  A.  Fate,  pastor  of  the  church, 
read  the  Scriptures  and  offered  prayer;  Rev.  L.  T. 
Chamberlaui,  D.  D.,  preached  the  sermon  from  1  Sam. 
7  :  12.  "Then  Samuel  took  a  stone,  and  set  it  between 
Mizpeh  and  Shen,  and  called  the  name  of  it  Eben-ezer, 
saying.  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us."  In  the 
evening  an  informal  service  was  held,  at  which  addresses 
were  made  by  Dea.  A.  E.  Low,  Mr.  Henry  C.  Leach, 
Rev.  D.  F.  Lamson  and  Rev.  F.  A.  Fate;  a  letter  was 
also  read  from  Rev.  C.  W.  Reding,  a  pastor  in  town  from 
1856  to  1861,  and  representative  from  the  town  in  the 
legislature  of  1861.  The  music  through  the  day  was 
furnished  by  the  choir,  with  congregational  singing. 
The  attendance  was  large,  and  the  exercises  of  an  ap- 
propriate and  impressive  character. 


SUPPLEMENT.  387 

Beginning  with  Monday  morning,  July  15,  the  busy 
note  of  preparation  was  heard  on  every  hand.  The 
streets  and  public  buildings  were  handsomely  decorated, 
as  were  many  stores  and  residences.  The  town  soon 
became  fairly  atlame  with  the  national  colors  and  various 
appropriate  devices.  Committees  were  energetically  at 
work,  and  the  permanent  and  summer  residents  vied  in 
public  spirit  in  doing  honor  to  the  occasion.  On  Wednes- 
day evening,  a  beacon  fire  blazed  on  the  site  of  the  Old 
mill,  off  Beach  street,  lighting  up  land  and  water  for 
miles  around. 

OFFICIAL    PROGKAMME 

(abridged) 
As  carried  out  July  18,  1895. 

Sum'ise:       Ringing  of  Bells  and  Salute. 

7  o'clock.     Signal  Gun  calling  Indian  Tribes. 

8  "      Band  and  Yocal  Concert  at  the  Arena. 

8  to  9     "      Gathering  of  the  Indian  Tribes. 

9  "      Good  Ship  "Arbella"  sighted. 
9.15        "      Governor's  Salute. 

9.30       "      Landing  of  Gov.  Winthrop's  Party. 

Reception  by  the  Indian  Chief    Mascouomo  and  his 
Tribe. 

10.30       "      Exercises  at  the  Arena. 

Music  by  the  Band. 

Prayer  by  Rev.  F.  A.  Fate,  Pastor  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Church. 
Address  by  the  Chairman,  Henry  C.  Leach,  Esq. 
Singing,  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner,"  by  the  School 

Children. 
Singing,  "  The  Same  Tides  Flow,"  words  and  music  by 

N.  B.  Sargent.    By  select  chorus. 
Oration  by  His  Honor,  the  Lieutenant-Governor,  Roger 

Wolcott. 
Singing,  "America,"  by  the  School  Children. 
Music  by  the  Band. 

12     "       "      Salute. 

12  to  1    "      Band  Concert. 


388  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 


1  o'clock.    Collation  in  Town  Hall. 

Presiding  officer,  Henry  C.  Leach,  Esq.  Address  of 
Welcome  by  Alfred  S.  Jewett,  Esq.,  Chairman  of  the 
Board  of  Selectmen.  Addresses  by  His  Honor  the 
Lieutenant-Governor;  Rev.  D.  F.  Lamson,  Historian 
of  the  Town ;  Richard  H.  Dana,  Esq. 

3         "  Forming  of   tlie  Floral  and  Historical  Parade, 

the  Parade  moving  promptly  at  3.o0  in  the 
following  order: 

Platoon  of  Policemen. 

Chief  Marshal,  Maj.  Russell  Sturgis. 

Aids. 

Band. 

First  Division. 

Marshal,  Col.  A.  P.  RockweU. 

Aids. 

Second  Corps  of  Independent  Cadets. 

Allen  Post  67  of  G.  A.  R. 

His  Honor,  the  Lieutenant-Governor;  and  other  guests, 

in  Carriages. 

Second  Division. 

Marshal,  Charles  S.  Hanks. 

Aids. 

Band. 

Indians. 

Representative  Jlembers  of  Society  of  Colonial  Wars. 

Continentals. 

Coaches  with  the  Winthrop  Party. 

Ladies'  Floats. 

The  Spinners. 

The  Tea  Party. 

Indian  Float. 

Fisheries. 

Ox  Team  with  School  Children. 

Third  Division. 

Marshal,  Gordon  Prince. 

Aids. 

Decorated  Carriages. 

The  Route : 
Beach  street,  Union,  Washington,  Summer,  through 
the  Grounds  of  the  Essex  County  Club,  School  street. 
Bridge  Street  to  West  Manchester;  Countermarch  by 
Bridge  street  and  Central  street,  and   dismiss. 

7.30       "      Band  Concert  on  the  Common. 

Simset  Gnn. 
8  "      Illumination  and  Fireworks. 


SUPPLEMENT.  389 

The  general  plan  and  arrangement  of  the  Celebration 
was  under  the  immediate  supervision  of  the  artist,  Ross 
Turner,  Esq.,  of  Salem. 

The  ship  "  Arbella "  was  designed  and  constriicted  by- 
David  M.  Little,  Esq.,  of  Salem,  marine  architect.  The  vessel 
was  intended  to  be  a  reproduction  of  the  ship  on  which  John 
Winthrop  sailed  from  Yarmouth,  England,  Marcli  20,  1630, 
reaching  these  shores  June  12.  The  ship,  whose  name  was 
originally  the  "  Eagle,"  was  a  craft  of  350  tons,  manned  by 
52  seamen  and  carrying  28  pieces  of  ordnance.  The  vessel 
constructed  to  represent  her  was  the  old  sloop,  "Hard 
Chance,"  of  Gloucester,  built  in  1857;  such  alterations  were 
made  in  her  build  above  the  water-line,  including  a  high  poop 
and  forecastle  with  gun  ports,  and  lateen  and  bowsprit  sails, 
flags  and  pennants,  as  answered  to  the  peculiar  shape  and 
rig  of  Dutch  vessels  of  the  seventeenth  century.  As  the  ves- 
sel entered  the  harbor  (towed  by  a  tug),  with  the  party  per- 
sonating Governor  Winthrop  and  his  companions  on  board,  it 
presented  a  picturesque  appearance,  and  with  the  realistic 
costumes  of  the  period,  both  English  and  Aboriginal,  helped 
to  carry  the  imagination  back  over  the  intervening  centuries. 

The  reception  of  Governor  Winthrop  (R.  H.  Dana, 
Esq,),  with  his  secretary  (H.  W.  Skinner,  Esq.)  and 
his  page  (R.  H.  Dana,  Jr.),  all  descendants  of  the  great 
Puritan,  was  at  the  landing,  by  Masconomo  (Mr. 
Leonard  Andrews)  and  his  "braves."  The  smoking 
of  the  pipe  of  peace,  and  the  other  formalities,  includ- 
ing the  serving  of  strawberries  in  birch  bark,  was  a 
brilliant  scene,  witnessed  and  applauded  by  the  vast 
throngs  in  the  Arena  and  on  the  adjacent  grounds. 
This  unique  and  spectacular  feature  of  the  day's  exer- 
cises, as  well  as  the  Procession,  was  admirably  con- 
ceived and  carried  out,  and  added  much  to  the  interest 
of  the  occasion. 

The  day  was  one  of  the  most  delightful  of  the  season, 
and  seemed  greatly  enjoyed  by  the  immense  and  or- 
derly crowds   (estimated  as  high  as  twenty-five  thou- 


390  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

sand)  who  all  day  long  thronged  the  streets  and  held 
every  vantage  ground.  At  a  comparatively  early  hour, 
the  multitudes  dispersed  and  quiet  reigned  over  the 
ancient  tovv^n.  A  favoring  Providence  smiled  upon  all 
from  the  beginning  to  the  close,  evoking  from  grateful 
hearts  thanksgiving  to  Him  "  from  whom  all  blessings 
flow." 

The  following  features  of  the  Procession  are  worthy 
of  special  notice  : 

In  the  first  divison  was  the  Manchester  G.  A.  R.  Post,  led 
by  Commander  J.  H.  Rivers.  Behind  the  column  came  a  car- 
riage, in  which  were  seated  four  veterans,  Julius  F.  Rabardy, 
Jacob  H.  Dow,  Samuel  Lendall  and  "William  H.  Hooper. 
Each  of  them  had  lost  an  arm  or  a  leg  in  the  war.  The  re- 
mainder of  the  first  division  comprised  tlie  guests  of  the  town, 
the  General  Committee  of  the  celebration  and  the  Parade 
Committee  in  carriages. 

In  the  second  division  were  the  Indians  who  had  taken  part 
in  the  morning  exercises,  about  one  hundred  men  in  all.  Two 
carriages  followed  them  containing  Grand  Oflicers  of  the  Red 
Men's  Society.  Xext  in  line  were  two  carriages  containing 
representatives  of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars.  Following 
them  was  a  body  of  young  Manchester  men  dressed  in  the 
costume  of  Continentals.  The  old  Governor  Eustis  coach, 
which  carried  Lafayette  on  his  visit  in  1824,  was  in  the  line. 
It  was  followed  by  the  coach  of  Wellesley  Hotel,  and  both 
contained  the  Governor  Winthrop  party,  in  the  costumes  that 
they  wore  during  the  morning  exercises. 

Next  in  order  was  the  float  of  the  Colonial  spinners, 
who  were  seen  busy  at  work  at  a  loom.  Tlie  representation 
was  perfect  in  every  detail,  and  was  commended  highly  all 
along  the  route.  Another  float  represented  a  Colonial  tea 
party.  It  was  most  artistically  decorated,  the  young  people 
being  dressed  in  costume.  A  float  occupied  by  a  dozen  of 
the  Daughtei-s  of  Pocahontas,  was  fitted  up  with  spruce 
boughs  as  an  Indian  camp  and  presented  a  very  picturesque 
appearance.  It  fui-nished  considerable  amusement.  It  was 
followed  by  a  float  representing  the  fisheries.  A  big  dory 
called  the  "  Nancy  "  was  manned  by  four  grizzled  sea  dogs  in 


SUPPLEMENT.  391 

oil-skins  and  sou'westers.  Tliey  could  be  seen  busy  mending 
a  dilapidated  net.  The  men  were  Capt.  Josiah  Dow,  George 
A.  Rowe,  Thomas  Dow  and  Josiah  H.  Dow.  A  float  upon 
which  were  seated  fifty  school  children  brought  up  the  end  of 
the  second  division;  it  was  drawn  by  two  pairs  of  oxen. 

This  made  way  for  the  advent  of  the  third  division,  the 
floral  parade.  There  were  many  entries.  Three  prizes  had  been 
offered  for  the  most  beautifully  decorated  carriages  in  this  divi- 
sion. The  prizes  were :  First,  a  silver  loving  cup,  given  by  John 
A.  Burnham;  second,  a  carriage  clock;  third,  a  carriage  whip. 
The  committee  awarded  the  prizes  as  follows:  First,  Mrs. 
Gordon  Prince;  second.  Miss  Elvira  Bartlett;  third,  Mr.  Schir- 
mer.  Honorable  mention  was  accorded  Misses  Curtis,  Misses 
Wetherbee,  Misses  Burnham.  The  colors  were  distributed 
before  the  parade,  and  the  successful  competitors  were  ap- 
plauded all  along  the  line. 

Too  much  credit  cannot  be  given  to  the  several  Com- 
mittees for  the  harmonious  and  efficient  manner  in 
which  they  discharged  tlieir  duties,  which  were  in 
many  cases  onerous  and  exacting,  in  cooperation  Avith 
the  Executive  Committee,  to  whom  was  entrusted  the 
general  management  of  the  entire  proceedings. 

A  notable  and  attractive  part  of  the  Celebration  was  the 
Art  and  Loan  Exhibit  in  G.  A.  Priest  School  Building,  open 
July  17-19.  There  were  gathered  here  ancient  heirlooms  in 
silver,  glass,  china,  household  furnishings,  dress,  books, 
manuscripts,  coins,  pictures,  autographs,  etc.,  some  of  which 
were  of  almost  priceless  value,  descended  through  genera- 
tions, and  in  some  cases  brought  from  far  over  seas.  The  old- 
fashioned  kitchen,  with  its  great  fireplace  and  its  fittings,  its 
chairs,  tables,  loom,  spinning-wheels,  and  other  antique  fur- 
nishings, was  a  unique  and  constant  attraction  to  visitor's. 
The  whole  exhibit  was  an  object  lesson  that  will  not  soon  fade 
from  memory,  for  the  perfect  success  of  which  much  was  due 
to  the  public  spirit  of  the  people  as  well  as  to  the  energy  and 
good  judgment  of  the  Committee. 

This  Volume  fitly  closes  with  the  Addresses  given  on 
this  memorable  occasion.  The  briefer  Addresses  are 
given  from  the  excellent  stenographic  reports  of  the 
Boston  Journal. 


392  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

ADDRESS 

By  Henby  C.  Leach,  Esq., 

President  of  the  Day. 

Friends  and  Fellow-Citizens:  Manchester  is  "  at  home  "  to- 
day. In  her  name  and  on  behalf  of  the  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments I  welcome  most  cordially  every  person  within  her 
borders. 

For  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  Manchester  has  lived  under 
a  town  government  as  a  self-respecting,  law-abiding  commu- 
nity; holding  fast  to  the  principles  which  brought  our  fathers 
to  these  shores,  proud  of  their  Puritan  ancestry  and  all  that 
Puritanism  stood  for,  in  the  contest  between  King  and  Parlia- 
ment that  marked  the  earlier  years  of  New  England's  settle- 
ment. She  has  been  a  loyal  daughter  of  the  Commonwealth, 
responding  with  patriotic  alacrity  to  any  call  from  the  Su- 
preme Executive,  the  Governor,  provided  always  that  the 
Governor  was  the  choice  of  a  free  people  and  not  the  repre- 
sentative of  royal  authority  from  over  the  sea. 
***** 

The  men  who  settled  Manchester  were  rei^resentatives  of 
the  sturdy  Independents  who  made  the  rank  and  file  of  Crom- 
well's army.  They  were  not  "  forehanded,"  for  the  land  and 
sea  must  yield  them  a  living  as  the  reward  of  hard  work.  The 
records  do  not  disclose  any  man  of  special  prominence  in  the 
learned  professions.  Law,  theology  and  medicine  seem  to 
have  been  neglected,  save  as  her  people  obeyed  the  first,  with 
becoming  humility  illustrated  the  second,  and  accepted  the 
latter  as  a  mysterious  dispensation  of  Providence. 

The  town  has  not  produced  many  men  with,  using  the  old 
form,  "a liberal  education,"  but  she  has  sent  to  all  jjarts  of 
the  world  a  class  of  men  highly  educated  in  a  "  knowledge  of 
men  and  things."  The  shipmasters  of  Manchester  were 
worthy  descendants  of  that  class  of  men  who,  under  Blake  and 
Hawkins,  made  the  navy  of  England  famous. 


Her  sons  commanded  the  ships  of  Derby,  of  Gray,  of  Pea- 
body,  and  of  Ropes,  and  other  sons  were  before  the  mast  as 
sailors,  competing  in  all  i)orts  of  the  world  with  the  merchants 
of  England. 


SUPPLEMENT.  393 

Manchester  men  wei'e  not  wanting  in  tlie  almost  perpetual 
conflict  between  the  whites  and  the  Indians.  You  find  them 
along  the  coast  of  Maine,  pushing  their  way  through  the  wil- 
derness to  the  St,  Lawrence,  where  Sergeant  Jacob  Allen 
(whose  great-grandson,  Senator  Galloup,  sits  on  this  platform) 
helped  plant  tlie  flag  of  the  colonies  on  the  walls  of  Quebec. 

The  war  of  the  llevolution  fouiid  prompt  and  hearty  sup- 
Ijorters  in  Mancdiester,  from  the  lirst  sound  of  battle  at  Lex- 
ington down  to  the  surrender  at  Yorktown.  Maj.  Eleazer 
Crafts  of  our  town  marched  with  his  regiment  to  the  support 
of  Gates  at  Saratoga,  and  took  part  in  that  decisive  conflict. 
(His  grandson,  Eleazer  Crafts,  is  present  to-day.)  But  the 
greater  number  of  men  from  Manchester  in  that  war  were  on 
the  sea  in  the  naval  and  privateer  service.  Two  brothers,  Eze- 
kiel  and  Benjamin  Leach,  First  Lieutenant  and  sailing  mas- 
ter on  board  a  privateer,  were  cajjtured  and  sjient  three  long 
years  at  Dartmoor,  enduring  many  hardships.  There  is  a  tra- 
dition that  among  the  men  who  managed  the  boat  which  car- 
ried Washington  and  his  fortunes  over  the  Delaware  on  that 
stormy  night  was  the  late  Mr.  Daniel  Kelham,  well  known  to 
our  older  citizens. 


As  the  nation  enlarged  its  borders,  the  energetic  and  capa- 
ble young  men  of  our  town  turned  from  the  dangers  and  risks 
of  a  sailor's  life  to  the  equal  risk  and  danger  of  the  new  and 
untried  life  to  be  found  in  the  South  and  West.  They  were 
among  the  first  to  carry  Xew  England  thrift  and  enterprise 
into  the  South  and  the  West,  beyond  the  Mississippi,  and 
across  the  Eocky  Mountains.  In  New  Orleans,  Memphis,  St. 
Louis,  as  early  as  1830  and  1834,  your  sons  had  established 
tliemselves  in  business  life.  As  early  as  1846,  attached  to  the 
Rifle  Regiment  under  Colonel  Loring,  our  fellow-citizen,  Wil- 
liam H.  Tappan,  had  made  the  march  across  the  plains  and 
the  mountains  to  Oregon,  blazing  a  trail  for  the  multitudes 
that  have  since  followed. 

Among  the  earliest  emigrants  to  California  were  the  men 
of  this  town.  Some  of  them  went  on  foot  from  the  Missouri 
River  to  the  Pacific  coast,  others  made  the  long  voyage  by 
sail  around  Cape  Horn,  Capt.  John  Carter,  the  last  survivor 
of  the  old  ship  masters,  still  living  and  honored  among  us  to- 
day, commanded  the  brig  Benjamin  L.  Allen,  owned,  officered. 


394  HISTORY    OF   MANCHESTER. 

equipped  and  sailed  by  Manchester  men  in  a  voyage  from  Bos- 
ton to  San  Francisco. 

Manchester  contributed  her  best  blood  and  brain  in  the 
building  up  of  the  states  of  California  and  Oregon.  Among 
the  lirst  organized  bands  of  emigrants  from  New  England  to 
Kansas  was  one  led  by  Samuel  F.  Tapjjan,  who  did  heroic  ser- 
vice in  the  struggle  to  make  Kansas  a  free  state,  and  won  mil- 
itary success  in  command  of  the  First  Colorado  Cavalry  during 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion. 

Other  Manchester  men  were  active  and  prominent  in  the 
settlement  of  Kansas,  Colorado,  Montana,  and  other  Western 
States.  Many  of  them,  with  their  descendants,  are  to-day 
active  in  the  business  and  jjolitical  life  of  those  states. 

We  recognize  the  changes  which  have  come  over  the  town. 
The  little  village  by  the  sea,  with  its  homogeneous  population, 
has  become  metropolitan  in  its  habits  and  cosmoiJolitan  as  to 
population.  The  primitive  has  given  place  to  the  modern. 
The  "good  old  times"  are  only  a  tradition. 

"You  may  build  more  stately  habitations,  but  you  cannot 
buy  with  gold  the  old  associations."  Unchanged  and  un- 
changeable is  our  love  for  the  old  town  and  the  old  associa- 
tions. Unchanged,  also,  is  "old  ocean's  wild  and  solitary 
waste."  "  Just  as  creation's  morn  beheld  her  we  behold  her 
now." 

And  so  long  as  the  waves  of  ocean  shall  "dash  them- 
selves to  idle  foam"  upon  your  rock-bound  shore,  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  Manchester,  at  home  and  abroad,  will  be 
true  to  all  that  makes  for  the  peace,  prosperity,  and  hapi^iness 
of  this  embryo  city  by  the  sea. 


ADDRESSES  AT  THE  COLLATION. 

A.  S.  Jewett,  Esq., 

ChalriiKtii  of  the  Board  of  Selectmen. 

Mi\  President,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  and  friends:  We 
meet  to-day  to  commemorate  an  event  of  great  historic  im- 
portance. In  emi^hasizing  this  particular  day,  we  claim  no 
special  patent.     It  is  a  custom,  as  old  as  the  ages,  among  all 


SUPPLEMENT.  395 

races  and  conditions  of  men,  to  mark  the  epochs  of  their  his- 
tory by  exercises  flattering  to  their  local  or  national  pride. 
The  mind  is  fond  of  instituting  comparisons,  and  passing  in 
review  the  various  stages  of  growth  and  development. 

The  life  of  a  town  never  ceases  to  interest  its  true  sons  and 
daughters,  wherever  they  may  be  located,  or  however  situated. 
Let  us  picture  in  our  minds  William  Jeffries,  the  early  ex- 
plorer, silently  threading  his  way,  in  his  little  shallop,  down 
the  coast,  up  the  harbor,  through  the  creek  to  the  highest 
navigable  point;  thence  disembarking,  he  selects  a  suitable 
spot  for  his  habitation.  Years  roll  by ;  the  last  trace  of  the 
humble  cottage  has  disappeared  long  since,  but  upon  the  site 
of  the  lowly  fisherman's  home  there  now  appears  the  stately 
mansion,  fit  residence  for  royalty. 

Many  will  recall  the  appearance  of  our  wharves  fifty  years 
or  moi'e  ago,  with  all  of  their  bustling  activity,  as  the  freighters 
from  the  neighboring  city  discharged  their  cargoes  of  assorted 
wares  and  brought  the  news  from  the  outer  world.  The  old 
stage  coach,  unfamiliar  to  the  present  generation,  was  once 
the  centre  of  local  news,  and  its  welcome  apjiearance  stirred 
the  lethargy  of  village  life.  Some  of  you  have  also  been 
thinking  of  the  changes  that  have  come  to  pass  in  the  indus- 
tries of  the  place.  Years  ago  we  were  accustomed  to  boast  of 
the  many  famous  captains  who  carried  our  flag  to  every 
foreign  shore,  but  of  whom  there  now  remains  only  a  memory. 

Others  recall  the  first  cabinet  shop,  located  in  a  distant 
part  of  the  town,  and  that  it  was  by  the  energy  of  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  first  settlers  that  the  town  became  noted  for 
the  excellence  of  its  work.  A  survey  of  the  past  is  profitable 
if  it  can  be  used  as  a  stepping  stone  to  the  future.  It  is  the 
ever  living  present  with  which  we  have  to  deal.  In  the 
changed  condition  of  affairs  is  it  not  wise  to  so  adjust  our- 
selves that  we  can  make  the  most  of  every  favorable  opportu- 
nity ?  While  all  about  us  signs  of  social  discontent  ax'e 
apparent,  have  we  not  cause  for  thankfulness  that  one  of  oiir 
large-hearted  citizens  has  manifested  his  interest  in  the  town 
by  the  erection  of  an  enduring  granite  structure,  fit  memorial 
of  the  noble  dead,  and  also  a  repository  of  the  world's  best 
thought?  Ere  long  upon  our  Common  there  will  be  erected 
a  beautiful  fountain,  a  loving  memorial  to  one  whose  benefac- 
tions were  countless. 

We  welcome  you  again  to  the  fullest  enjoyment  of  our 


396  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

matchless  scenery  and  unrivalled  rockbound  coast.  Nature 
here  lavishes  her  gifts  -with  prodigal  hands.  "  To  him  who  in 
the  love  of  nature  holds  communion  with  her  visible  forms 
she  speaks  a  various  language."  We  have  here  a  heritage 
which  cannot  be  invalidated.  Why  sigh  for  title  deeds  ? 
The  truly  artistic  soul  cannot  be  robbed  of  the  boundless 
wealth  which  lavish  nature  presents  to  the  view.  In  behalf  of 
tliis  good  old  town,  radiant  in  its  summer  glory,  I  bid  you 
welcome,  thrice  welcome,  and  may  the  memor^y  of  this  day, 
with  all  its  hallowed  associations,  be  a  helpful  influence  and  an 
inspiration  for  good  for  years  to  come. 

The  Lieutenant  Governor,  the  Orator  of  the  Day, 
on  being  called  upon,  made  some  most  felicitous  remarks 
upon  the  value  of  celebrations  like  the  present  in  foster- 
ing public  spirit,  promoting  acquaintance  and  good 
fellowship,  and  resulting  in  a  larger  life.  The  speech  is 
omitted  for  want  of  room. 


Rev.  D.  F.  Lamson, 
Historian  of  the  Town. 

Mr.  President:  In  view  of  the  lateness  of  the  hour  and  of 
the  good  things  which  we  have  already  enjoyed,  and  of  the 
other  good  things  which  are  yet  in  store  for  us,  I  think  I  will 
omit  some  things  that  I  intended  to  say  at  the  outset  with  re- 
gard to  the  si)irit  of  history,  and  you  are  at  liberty  to  assume, 
if  you  choose,  that  this  would  have  been  the  best  part  of  my 
speech. 

No  one  can  rightly  understand  past  times,  or  interpret 
rightly  public  events,  who  is  not  acquainted  with  the  way  in 
which  people  lived,  how  they  dressed  and  talked,  what  amuse- 
ments they  had,  what  books  they  read,  what  was  the  daily 
atmosphere  of  their  homes.  It  was  with  this  principle  in 
view,  however  j^oorly  it  may  have  been  acted  upon,  that  the 
history  of  the  town  has  been  written. 

Your  historian  is  reminded  on  the  present  occasion  of  the 
contrast  between  the  fare  of  which  we  have  just  partaken 
and  that  which  was  served  on  these  shores  two  hundred  and 
fifty  years  ago  to-day.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  viands 
upon  the  tables  of  our  forefathei'S,  it  is  safe  to  say  that  there 


SUPPLEMENT.  397 

was  a  less  elaborate  spread ;  not  but  that  our  forefathers  had 
something  to  eat  usually,  even  though  at  times  they  might 
have  been  fain  to  suck  of  the  abundance  of  the  seas  and  of 
the  treasures  hid  in  the  sands,  for  which  they  were  duly 
grateful,  and  for  which,  with  the  self-consciousness  of  the 
age,  they  were  careful  duly  to  record  their  gratitude. 


But  our  forefathers  had  no  doubt  an  advantage  of  us  in  one 
respect.  If  it  be  true,  as  is  often  implied,  that  plain  living 
and  high  thinking  are  inseparable,  why,  then  it  follows  that 
our  forefathers  were  better  off  than  we  are;  for  they  had  plain 
living,  and,  ergo,  they  must  have  had  high  thinking,  while  we 
do  not  have  plain  living,  and,  ertjo^  we  cannot  have  high 
thinking.  If  there  is  any  fallacy  in  this  reasoning,  Mr.  Presi- 
dent, I  hope  you  will  not  be  over-critical.  The  present  occa- 
sion is  not  one  in  which  too  much  should  be  expected  of  a 
man  in  the  way  of  strict  reasoning. 


There  is  one  other  thing,  that  has  taken  the  form  of  a 
query  in  my  mind,  and  that  is  whether,  after  all,  the  difference 
between  our  modern  civilization,  on  which  we  so  much  pride 
ourselves,  and  the  civilization  of  a  former  age,  was  not  some- 
what like  the  difference  between  our  fare  to-day  and  the  fare 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago;  that  is,  that  it  consists,  in 
part  at  least,  in  a  more  elaborate  spread.  I  must  confess,  Mr. 
President,  I  feel  unequal  to  settle  this  question.  I  must  leave 
it  to  wiser  heads  than  that  of  the  historian.  I  have  always 
found  that  it  is  a  deal  easier  to  ask  questions  than  to  answer 
them.  But,  speaking  of  the  Puritans,  whatever  they  mny 
have  been,  with  all  their  limitations,  with  all  their  foibles  and 
their  mistakes  —  and  it  is  easy  to  exaggerate  these  things,  and 
there  are  persons,  I  suppose,  who  find  delight  in  seeing  spots  on 
the  face  of  the  sun  —  we  must  acknowledge  that  they  were  men 
of  great  excellences,  of  excellences  which  their  small  detractors 
are  not  able  to  appreciate  or  understand.  When  we  think  of 
them  as  clinging  to  these  rugged  shores,  wresting  a  subsist- 
ence from  the  stormy  seas,  planting  their  dwellings  in  the 
dark  and  impenetrable  forests,  carrying  on  their  daily  work 
under  the  pressure  of  constant  fear  and  anxiety  and  danger, 
•'one  hand  on  the  mason's  trowel  and  one  on  the   soldier's 


398  HISTORY   OF   MANCHESTER. 

sword,"  laying  broad  the  foundations  on  which  those  who  were 
to  come  after  them  were  to  build,  sowing  the  seeds  of  harvests 
which  other  men  were  to  reap,  we  cannot  withhold  from  them 
the  tribute  of  a  sincere  admiration  and  reverence. 


EicHARD  H.  Dana,  Esq. 
Mr.  Chairman,  and  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: 

It  is  perhaps  a  peculiar  coincidence  that  my  grandfather, 
who  was  the  first  summer  resident,  as  it  is  called  here,  happens 
to  be  a  descendant  of  no  less  than  six  of  the  summer  residents 
on  board  the  "Arbella,"  who  one  pleasant  summer  morning 
stayed  here  for  an  hour  or  two  on  their  way  to  Salem,  includ- 
ing among  them  Thomas  Dudley,  and  one  or  two  others  of  the 
distinguished  jjersons  who  were  on  board  of  that  vessel,  Mr. 
Simon  Bradstreet  among  the  others. 

But  to  come  down  to  the  fifty-one  or  fifty-two  years  ago 
when  my  grandfather  was  the  fii'st  here,  it  seems  a  simple 
enough  thing  for  us  who  are  used  to  it  to  think  of  the  con- 
dition of  a  i^ew  England  town,  but  it  is  something  so  unique 
in  the  world  at  large  that  it  might  be  worth  while  pausing  for 
a  moment  to  ask,  What  would  be  an  English  farming  town  of 
the  size  of  Manchester  in  1844  or  1845  ?  Why,  it  would  be  a 
collection  of  tenant  farms.  This  was  a  collection  of  land  own- 
ers, owning  their  premises  in  fee  simple,  self-respecting,  self- 
ruling  men,  educated,  and  comj^osed  largely  of  farmers  and 
sea  captains,  and  just  beginning  manufactures.  Among  them, 
as  the  pastor  of  the  church  —  there  was  only  one  then,  the  Con- 
gregational Church  —  was  Rev.  Oliver  A.  Taylor,  a  man  whose 
reputation  spread  far  beyond  this  town,  and  my  grandfather 
made  a  trip  all  the  way  from  the  end  of  the  Cape,  at  Pigeon 
Cove,  where  he  was  then  staying,  to  see  Mr.  Tayl(n';and  it  was 
Mr.  Taylor,  during  the  four  or  five  years  that  my  grandfather 
stayed  at  Pigeon  Cove,  that  suggested  his  coming  to  this 
beautiful  town  and  staying  here.  My  grandfather  then  drove 
up  and  down,  and  hearing  the  sound  of  the  surf,  he  said, 
"  There  must  be  a  beach,"  and  following  up  an  old  wood  road 
he  came  to  the  spot  which  he  afterwards  selected. 


SUPPLEMENT.  399 

I  think  it  has  been  one  of  the  fortunate  occasions  that  we 
have  had  now  this  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary,  that 
we  have  all  been  brought  together  and  to  meet  each  other  and 
to  know  each  other  and  to  form  friendships,  and  may  these 
friendships,  as  I  will  end  by  saying,  may  these  friendships 
which  we  are  forming  here  to-day  always  remain  firm  in  this 
most  beautiful  spot  on  earth. 

The  President  then  announced  that  the  hour  had 
arrived  for  the  Procession  to  start,  and  he  would  ask 
those  sjDeakers  whom  it  was  impossible  to  hear  from  at 
this  time,  to  reserve  their  remarks  until  the  next  two 
hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary.  At  the  suggestion  of 
a  gentleman  in  the  Hall,  these  gentlemen  were  given 
"leave  to  print." 


SERMON 

By  Rev.  L.  T.  Chamberlain,  D.  D. 

1  Sam.  7:12.  "Then  Samuel  took  a  stone,  and  set  it  be- 
tween Mizpeli  and  Shen,  and  called  the  name  of  it  Eben-ezer, 
saying,  Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us." 

It  was  thus  that  public  gratitude  found  expression,  in 
the  far-off  days  of  Israel's  struggling  life.  As  you 
doubtless  recall,  there  had  been  a  hard-fought  battle. 
The  hazard  had  included  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  the 
chosen  peoj^le.  The  national  safety,  the  national  exis- 
tence, had  been  at  stake.  Defeat  would  have  appeared 
as  the  reversal  of  Jehovah's  promise  and  the  overthrow 
of  Jehovah's  decree.  Yet,  for  a  moment,  as  the  battle 
was  joined,  suspense  took  the  place  of  assurance.  To 
mortal  sight,  the  decisive  issue  trembled  in  the  balance. 
Then  came  a  divine  assistance.  God  thundered  from 
His  holy  height.  The  tide  of  hostile  assault  was  turned 
back.  Pursuing  the  discomfited  enemy,  the  men  of 
Israel  went  forth  from  Mizpeh  in  triumph. 

What  wonder  that,  following  a  victory  so  great,  in 
view  of  a  deliverance  so  signal,  the  memorial  stone  was 
set  between  Mizpeh  and  Shen,  or,  in  terms  of  our  lan- 
guage, between  the  watch-tower  and  the  crag !  How 
natural  that  the  ascription  of  praise  should  be  to  Him 
who  had  so  manifestly  given  success ! 

Good  friends,  I  trust  that  in  our  hearts,  this  morning, 
gratitude  to  God  not  only  rises  but  also  reigns.  Surely, 
in  the  midst  of  these  historic  scenes,  under  a  just  sense 
of  our  indebtedness  for  mercies  already  vouchsafed,  it  is 
wholly  fitting  that  we  should  ascribe  our  blessings  to 
Him  who  is  still  a  strong  deliverer. 

***** 

As,  accordingly,  the  stone  of  thanksgiving  is  now  set 

400 


SERMON.  401 

between  our  Mizpeh  and  onr  Slien,  let  it  be  understood 
that  we  thereby  distinctly  recognize  that  in  the  usual 
and  lesser  events  of  our  history,  as  truly  as  in  the  greater 
and  more  unusual,  in  the  quiet  orderings  of  our  hves,  as 
veritably  as  in  the  more  disturbed,  an  infinite  power  has 
both  upheld  and  blessed. 

And,  by  that  token,  what  other  jjeople  have  such 
abundant  cause  for  thanks !  How  long  the  period  whose 
close  we  celebrate  to-day !  How  romantic  the  interest 
of  its  early  years  !  Yet  the  record  bears  faithful  witness. 
When  this  town  was  settled  in  1645, —  the  inhabitants 
in  that  year,  in  memory  of  ancestral  Manchester  in 
England,  having  successfully  petitioned  that  the  name 
be  changed  from  Jeffries'  Creek, —  the  story  of  Plymouth 
across  the  Bay,  was  still  passing  from  lip  to  lip.  How,  of 
the  Pilgrim  company  landing  there,  almost  half,  including 
theii"  loved  and  trusted  leader,  died  T\dthin  the  first  himdi'ed 
days;  six  between  the  31st  of  December  and  New 
Year's  Day ;  eight  in  January,  seventeen  in  February, 
thirteen  in  March ;  yet  how,  when  the  Mayflower  re- 
turned on  the  5th  of  April,  not  one  of  the  colonists  took 
passage  homeward !  John  Endicott,  with  his  Puritan 
associates,  had  been  but  seventeen  years  in  Salem.  John 
Winthrop,  having  first  landed  at  Manchester,  had  begun 
his  colonial  service  only  fifteen  years  before.  It  was  not 
long  after  the  Pequot  War,  whose  devastations  had  sent 
terror  into  eveiy  New  England  home.  Boston  was  only 
fifteen  years  old.  The  settlements  in  Connecticut  were 
all  recent,  and  their  union  in  an  independent  colonial 
government,  was  of  only  eight  years'  standing.  To  the 
southward,  Jamestown,  the  first  Enghsh  colony  in  Amer- 
ica, was  less  than  forty  years  old,  and  the  tyi'anny  of  King 
James  in  turning  Virginia  into  an  appanage  of  the  Crown, 
had  occurred  only  a  score  of  years  before. 

In  those  days,  the  slow  ships  that  came  -with  EngUsh 


402  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

news,  brought  word  of  the  doings  of  the  Long  Parlia- 
ment ;  of  the  battles  of  Edgehill,  and  Marston  Moor,  and 
Naseby ;  of  OHver  Cromwell  as  Dictator,  and  of  Charles 
I,  beheaded  at  Whitehall.  The  tidings  from  France 
told  of  Louis  XIII,  and  that  Cardinal  Richelieu,  author, 
courtier,  politician,  who  made  French  unity  the  incarna- 
tion of  tyranny,  and  who  built  French  glory  on  the 
quicksands  of  material  conquest  and  religious  fraud. 
In  Sweden,  the  mourning  for  the  great  Gustavus 
Adolphus  was  comparatively  recent.  In  Spain,  ruled 
the  ambitious  Philip  IV.  In  Central  Europe,  the 
Thirty  Years'  War  was  di-awing  to  its  close,  imperious 
Wallenstein  having  fallen  by  the  assassin's  hand. 
***** 

Far  from  easy  is  it  to  reproduce,  even  in  imagination, 
the  external  features  of  those  primitive  days.  The 
situation  seems  meagre  and  harsh,  Avhen  compared  with 
the  affluence  of  our  own  possessions.  The  contrast  is 
like  that  between  "the  wicker  hut  and  thatched  roof" 
of  Romulus,  and  the  magnificence  of  the  later  Roman 
Empire;  like  that  between  the  wandering  Israel  that 
crossed  the  Jordan  with  Joshua,  and  the  nation  which 
afterwards  built  Jerusalem's  Temple,  and  held  sway 
from  the  desert  to  the  sea. 

Yet  the  later  magnificence  is,  in  itself,  a  constant 
witness  to  the  sagacity  and  fidelity  with  which  our  fore- 
fathers planned  and  vn-ought.  Let  due  allowance  be 
made  for  the  conditions  which,  in  any  case,  would  have 
favored  the  gathering  of  a  vast  population  on  these 
western  shores ;  the  spirit  of  adventure  which  was  every- 
where abroad;  the  reaching  out  of  the  Old  World  after 
new  dependencies ;  the  general  fertility  of  our  soil;  the 
variety  of  our  climate;  the  commercial  jiossibihties  of 
our  coast- line,  oiir  rivers,  and  our  lakes ;  our  exhaustless 
mineral   resources,    awaiting   their   discoverer;    put    all 


SERMON.  403 

these  into  relationship  with  each  other,  and  into  the 
matchless  combination  which,  united,  they  form;  add 
thereto  the  essential  qualities  of  the  Anglo-Saxou  race, 
so  that  one  may  aver  that  if  the  early  settlers  had  failed 
in  meeting  the  issue,  others  of  their  kin  would  in  time 
have  repaired  the  loss;  yet  it  still  remains  not  the  less,  but 
rather  the  more,  manifest,  that  the  early  XewEnglanders 
performed  their  part  with  large  and  exceptional  msdoni. 
Certainly,  in  whatever  else  they  failed,  they  were 
nobly  successful  in  maintaining  their  faith  in  God,  and 
in  preserving  their  reverence  for  the  Bible  as  God's  holy 
word.  In  saying  this,  however,  I  am  not  asserting  that 
the  men  of  our  early  history  were  altogether,  or  even 
prevailingly,  of  the  saintly  type.  It  is  evident  that  they 
had  a  prudent  eye  for  thrift,  and  the  record  shows  that 
they  were  far  from  being  non-resistants.  If  the  rod  of 
Moses,  which  aforetime  had  budded  and  blossomed, 
seemed  unavailing,  they  were  more  than  ready,  in  a 
just  cause,  to  wield  the  sword  of  Joshua  or  of  Gideon. 
They  believed  in  the  God  of  battles.  The\''  sometimes 
proceeded  to  extremes  in  the  repression,  and  in  the 
punishment,  of  what  to  them  seemed  unscriptural  and 
harmful.  In  their  hands,  the  Church  and  the  State  were 
for  a  time,  brought  into  perilous  identity.  The  freedom 
which,  at  great  i^rice,  they  had  jjurcbased  for  them- 
selves, they  were  not  always  ready  to  accord  to  those 
who  actively  opposed  them.  Could  they  have  said  from 
the  heart,  — 

"  Think  not  that  that  which  seemeth  right  to  thee, 
Must  needs  be  so  to  all  men.     Thou  canst  see 
Footprints  of  light  ujjon  the  world's  highway, 
Lett  there  by  Him  who  had  not  where  to  lay 
His  lowly  head, —  the  plainest  nearest  thee. 
There  may  be  footprints  which  thou  canst  not  see, 
Made  plain  by  heaven's  light  to  other  men,  — 
Jesus  went  many  ways  into  Jerusalem," — 


404  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

could  they  have  said  that  sincerely,  a  still  higher  grace 
would  have  been  conferred  on  both  their  practice  and 
their  faith.  Yet  they  kept  firm  hold  on  many  a  divine 
and  eternal  reality.  Their  religion  was  to  them  a  source 
of  both  purity  and  power. 

This,  at  least,  may  safely  be  affirmed  ;  take  out  of 
the  early  history  of  this  town,  take  out  of  the  early 
history  of  New  England,  the  distinctively  religious  ele- 
ment, the  personal  faith  in  God  and  the  Bible,  and  you 
take  out  the  force,  the  verve,  the  very  life,  of  what  is 
grandest  in  both  achievement  and  ideal. 

Along  that  line,  accordingly,  comes  one  of  the  serious 
lessons  for  us  who  celebrate  the  completion  of  our  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years. 

But  again,  our  forefathers  held  fast  to  the  great  doc- 
trine of  the  political  rights  of  the  individual,  and  of  the 
corresponding  duties  of  the  individual  to  the  govern- 
ment which  affords  a  just  protection.  As  we  have 
already  inferred,  the  founding  of  the  New  England  col- 
onies was  from  an  inspiration  at  once  religious  and 
civic.  Read  the  open  record,  and  there  will  be  no  room 
for  doubt.  The  persecutions  to  the  death,  under  bloody 
Mary;  the  tyrannical  proceedings  of  the  Star  Chamber 
and  Court  of  High  Commission,  under  cruel  Elizabeth  ; 
the  unrelenting  intolerance  of  James  I,  and  his  advisers 
—  all   these  were    aimed    at   both  religious   and  civil 

freedom. 

***** 

What  an  ample  condition-precedent  for  the  genesis, 
by  revolt,  of  civil  as  well  as  religious  independence  ! 

*-iif  -^  ^  ^ 

rJr  "TV-  "TT  "TT 

That    our  fathers   were    not   always    consistent  with 


SEEMON.  405 

their  political  ideal,  as  they  were  not  always  consistent 
with  their  religious  ideal,  must  be  admitted.  The  stress 
of  the  situation ;  the  almost  infinite  sacrifice  at  which 
they  had  purchased  their  own  freedom  ;  the  bitter  re- 
sentments of  which  human  nature  is  always  capable ; 
these  considerations  and  forces  sometimes  carried  them 
beyond  the  placidam  quieteyn,  —  the  peaceful,  stable 
repose,  —  which  their  motto  declared  that  they  con- 
stantly sought.  But,  for  all  that,  it  remains  that,  in 
sincere  reverence,  they  laid  the  foundation  of  whatever 
"liberty  under  law  "  we  of  to-day  enjoy.  There  is  not 
an  element  of  truth,  and  scarce  an  expression  of  con- 
viction, in  the  immortal  Declaration  of  Independence 
itself,  which  had  not  been  announced  beforehand,  in 
colonial  constitutions  and  bills  of  rights. 
*         #         *         *         * 

Once  more,  in  our  commemoration  of  the  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  which  have  now  passed,  we  may 
not  overlook  the  support  given  by  our  forefathers  to  the 
cause  of  public  education  and  popular  intelligence. 
Wellnigh  pathetic  is  the  record  of  their  sacrifices  for 
that  great  end.  In  these  times  of  well  ordered,  fruit- 
ful peace,  it  seems  but  natural  that  wide  and  generous 
attention  should  be  given  to  mental  training.  It  ac- 
cords with  our  physical  progress,  that  vast  fortunes  should 
now  be  bestowed  on  institutions  of  the  higher  learning. 
In  the  modern  expansion  of  Christendom  ;  the  inter-rela- 
tions of  advancing  peoples;  the  reflections  and  counter  re- 
flections of  literary  achievement  and  scientific  discovery; 
it  were  hardly  possible  not  to  feel  a  virtually  constraining 
impulse  toward  the  fostering  of  both  j^ublic  and  private 
education.  In  the  days  of  our  colonial  history,  the 
circumstances  were  largely  reversed. 


406  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

And  yet,  along  with  the  assiduous  toil,  in  the  midst  of 
the  incessant  tumult,  in  spite  of  the  desperate  conflict,  our 
ancestors  established  the  public  school  and  founded  the 
classical  college. 

***** 

They  believed  that  education  was  the  ally  of  religion, 
and  that  the  two  were  like  the  pillars  of  brass  which 
upheld  the  Temple's  porch,  whereof  the  one  was  named 
Jachin,  "  He  shall  establish,"  and  the  other  Boaz,  "  It 
is  strength." 

^  ^  ^  ^  ^ 

Finally,  our  commemoration  will  be  incomplete,  our 
memorial  will  be  but  partially  significant,  unless,  in 
loyal  remembrance  of  those  who  have  gone  before  — 
those  who,  in  the  main,  dealt  humanely  with  the  In- 
dian, and  were  pioneers  in  the  abolition  of  colonial 
Negro  slavery  —  we  resolve  that  we  will,  henceforth, 
the  more  revere  the  brotherhood  of  man,  and  the 
more  devote  ourselves  to  Society's  noblest  welfare. 
There  is  a  blessedness  which  is  not  wholly  included, 
on  the  one  hand,  in  the  good  fortune  of  government, 
and  does  not  merely  consist,  on  the  other  hand,  in  the 
embodying  of  religion  and  culture  in  the  private  in- 
dividual. The  state  may  flourish,  and  the  prosperity 
of  persons  may  be  realized,  yet  the  common-weal  be 
far  from  perfect.  There  is  a  social  well-being  which 
comprehends  both  state  and  individual,  as  the  multiple 
includes  its  factors,  or  as  the  circle  is  made  up  of  cir- 
cumference and  centre.  To  secure  that  largest  good, 
individual  rights  may  well  be  modified.  To  achieve 
that  highest  felicity,  government  itself  may  be  among  us 
"  as  one  who  serves."  For  Humanity  is  more  than  the 
units  that  compose  it.  Philanthropy  is  greater  than 
domestic  or  patriotic  devotion. 

And  we  stand,  my  friends,  to-day,  where  circumstances 


SERMON.  407 

make  urgent  the  call  for  this  social  good-will.  To  us 
there  comes  with  special  force,  the  summons  to  remember 
that  each  soul  is  sacred  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  realize 
the  just  preeminence  of  the  collective  well-being.  The 
rush  and  resound  of  om*  outward  progress,  the  very  radi- 
ance and  richness  of  our  cherished  civihzation,  tend  to 
make  us  insensible  to  the  finer  and  more  fundamental 
issues.  Things  are  now  to  the  fore.  They  crowd  the 
scene.  They  claim  the  primacy.  They  demand  of  us 
that  we  pay  obeisance.  And  thus  it  is,  I  add,  that  class 
estrangements,  class  antagonisms,  now  find  place  and 
power.  Instead  of  the  choice  of  those  immaterial 
treasures  —  piety,  wisdom,  virtue,  magnanimity  —  which 
are  ever  increased  to  him  who  imj^arts  them,  the  majority 
are  chiefly  anxious  for  the  objects,  of  which,  if  one  has 
more,  another  is  hkely  to  have  less. 

Still  further,  into  our  social  state,  thus  restless,  thus 
unstable,  there  are  ever  coming  the  insurgent  hosts  of 
other  lands  and  other  chmes.  Situate  as  we  are  in  the 
very  confluence,  the  very  voriex,  of  the  world's  migra- 
tions, the  problem  of  life  is  made  for  us  the  more  ap- 
palling, by  reason  of  the  diversity  of  our  tribes  and 
tongues.  In  the  days  of  our  fathers,  the  social  order 
was  more  sane  and  simple.  Their  communities  were 
homogeneous  in  race  and  language.  To  them  it  was 
clear  that  the  life  was  more  than  meat,  even  as  the  body 
was  more  than  raiment.  Their  very  presence  on  these 
wild  shores,  fugitives  from  civil  and  rehgious  opjiression, 
testified  to  themselves  and  the  world,  that  it  were  well  to 
lose  all  else,  if  so  the  higher  interests  were  saved  from 
harm.  The  common  strus-o-le  for  the  common  end, 
warmed  the  heart,  even  as  it  stirred  the  mind  and  trained 
the  hand.  At  such  a  time,  it  was  but  natural  to  think  of 
the  community's  welfare  as  foremost,  since,  unless  the 
community  throve,  no  individual  might  keep  either 
fortune  or  life. 


408  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

By  some  means,  we  must  win  back,  we  must  preserve, 
the  old-time  zeal  for  the  common  welfare.  Custom  must 
reinforce  its  sanction  of  disinterested  good-will.  Law 
must  put  its  full  protection  around  the  humblest.  Gov- 
ernment must  find  its  warrant,  in  the  well-being  of  the 
people.  The  Church  must  discern  her  noblest  mission, 
in  making  universal  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth. 
When  that  day  dawns,  when  by  the  setting  up  of  such 
a  memorial  we  show  our  grateful  love,  then  will  the 
keeper  of  Israel  be  our  keeper,  and  His  presence  be  our 
refuge  and  defence. 

Grateful,  therefore,  for  the  recorded  past ;  gladly  own- 
ing the  inspiration  of  an  example  illustrious  with  religious 
faith,  political  fidelity,  enthusiasm  for  learning,  and  a  rare 
devotion  to  the  common  well-being;  we  turn  to  the 
future.  At  the  close  of  another  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  when  the  half  of  a  millennium  has  been  reached, 
there  will  be,  I  trust,  another  and  still  grander  celebration 
on  this  increasingly  memorable  spot.  The  celebrants  will 
have  changed.  Many  an  outward  condition  will  have 
been  transformed.  DwelUngs  will  have  become  still  more 
beautiful,  and  temples  more  grand.  The  pliant  forces  of 
nature  will  have  yielded  themselves  to  new  uses.  Home 
industry  will  have  fashioned  fairer  products.  Commerce 
will  have  brought  hither  rarer  treasures. 

But  as  surely  as  these  steadfast  hills  will  keep  their 
place  ;  this  rock-bound  shore  preserve  its  trend ;  the  wide 
ocean  roll  its  tides;  and,  sk^^ward,  the  constellations  gleam ; 
the  principles  of  worthy  living  will  remain  as  they  are 
to-day.  They  share  in  the  divine  permanence.  Rev- 
erence, worship,  prayer,  praise,  intended  purity  of  heart, 
repentance  for  sin,  faith  in  the  atoning  love,  toil  for  the 
Kingdom's  coming  —  these,  toward  God;  gentleness, 
good  will,  the  bearing  of  one  another's  burdens,  the  up- 
holding of  justice,  the  spread  of  enlightenment,  the  honor- 


SERMON.  409 

ing  of  the  universal  brotherhood  —  these,  toward  man ; 
the  whole  merged,  in  reality,  into  the  one  glory  in  which 
God  and  Humanity  alike  rejoice ;  such  is  the  abiding 
truth,  such  the  changeless  lesson.  God  grant  that  while 
we  yet  linger,  we  may  be  faithful  to  the  heavenly  vision, 
and  be  cheered  by  the  fulfilment  of  the  gracious  promise ! 


ADDRESS 

By  His  Honok,  the  Lieutenant-Goveenob. 

Two  hundred  and  fifty  j^ears  form  no  insignificant 
period  in  that  jDortion  of  the  history  of  the  human  race 
which  is  written  in  books.  Not  yet  have  eight  such 
periods  passed  since  the  shores  of  Galilee  were  trodden 
by  the  feet  of  Hira  that  brought  glad  tidings,  that  pub- 
lished peace. 

If  we  glance  at  the  intellectual  product  of  the  period 
just  preceding  that  the  completion  of  which  you  to-day 
commemorate,  we  are  amazed  at  its  splendid  vigor  and 
achievement.  Across  the  dark  firmament  of  the  Mid- 
dle Ages  had  flashed  the  radiance  of  mighty  spirits, 
whose  potent  rays  are  still  un dimmed  in  the  growing 
daylight  of  our  own  time.  In  the  hands  of  Michael 
Angelo  and  Raphael  chisel  and  brush  had  j^roduced 
forms  of  beauty  and  majesty  which  no  succeeding  cen- 
tury has  equalled.  Columbus  had  brought  a  new  world 
to  the  knowledge  of  Europe,  and  from  his  lonely  watch- 
tower  Galileo  had  read  the  story  of  the  stars.  By  the 
sturdy  blows  with  which  Martin  Luther  nailed  his 
theses  to  the  door  of  the  church  at  Wittenberg,  he  had 
shivered  the  dornination  over  men's  minds  of  religious 
tyranny,  and  had  aroused  liberty  of  conscience  from  its 
almost  unbroken  slumber.  In  his  immortal  novel,  Cer- 
vantes had  "  smiled  Spain's  chivalry  away."  The  lofty 
wisdom  of  Bacon  had  taught  the  stately  dignity  of  the 
English  tongue.  Sliakespeare  had  shown  the  infinite 
capabilities  of  the  human  intellect,  and  to  the  ear  of 
Protestant  England  the  verse  of  Milton  had  echoed  the 
sonorous  tramp  of  armies. 

Such  a  heritage  from  the  recent  past  did  those  bring 
with  them  who  settled  the  shores  of  Massachusetts  in 

410 


ADDRESS.  411 

the  early  pai't  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Marston 
Moor  and  Naseby  were  contemporaneous  with  the  birth 
of  your  town,  and  a  few  years  later  the  news  of  the 
grim  execution  at  Whitehall  must  have  caused  a 
shudder  even  in  those  who  believed  that  the  hapless 
Charles  had  deserved  his  fate.  In  "  The  Beginnings  of 
New  England  "  John  Fiske  has  clearly  shown  that  this 
migration  of  English  Puritans  to  seize  and  occupy  anew 
continent,  insignificant  though  it  was  in  the  numbers 
engaged,  meant  nothing  less  than  the  ultimate  "  transfer 
of  the  world's  political  centre  of  gravity  from  the  Tiber 
and  the  Rhine  to  the  Thames  and  the  Mississippi."  He, 
however,  must  have  had  clear  vision  who  should  discern 
this  high  destiny  from  the  deck  of  the  Mayflower 
landing  her  little  company  in  Plymouth  Bay,  or  from 
that  of  the  Arbella  as  she  skirted  along  your  beautiful 
coast,  affording  opportunity  to  those  who  went  on  shore 
to  note  "  the  strawberries,  gooseberries  and  sweet  sin- 
gle roses,"  and  to  be  entertained  by  still  earlier  settlers 
on  "good  venison  and  beer." 

John  Winthrop  was  born  in  the  memorable  year  of 
the  Spanish  Armada.  Even  before  his  time,  the  su- 
premacy of  the  world  had  left  the  Mediterranean,  and 
was  travelling  westward.  Since  then  the  destiny  of  the 
English-speaking  race  has  marched  ajiace,  and  though 
in  some  far  future  time  God  may  raise  up  another  race 
to  the  leadership  of  mankind,  it  seems  now  probable 
that  for  centuries  the  history  of  the  world  will  be  what 
the  men  of  our  race  shall  make  it.  England,  with  her 
colonies  dotting  the  globe,  whether  destined  to  continue 
as  dependent  offshoots  or  to  become  independent  or 
federated  nations  ;  America,  holding  a  continent  with  a 
population  which  in  the  lifetime  of  some  before  me  will 
number  two  hundred  millions,  —  if  these  two  mighty 
nations  escape  the  corrosion  of  vice  and  the  rot  of  lux- 


412  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

ury,  and  remain  true  to  their  fundamental  beliefs  in 
education,  freedom  of  conscience  and  popular  govern- 
ment, it  is  no  empty  boast  to  say  that  the  sceptre  of 
dominion  will  remain  for  untold  ages  in  their  grasp. 
"\Ye  need  not  seek  to  ask  too  curiously  which  shall  pre- 
dominate, for  the  star  of  empire  still  holds  its  westward 
way,  and  its  rays  of  promise,  already  gleaming  from  the 
East,  will  one  day  bathe  our  broad  land  in  their  vertical 
splendor.  Yet  no  nation  can  continue  powerful  unless 
virtue,  education  and  energy  are  the  common  possessions 
of  her  sons. 

How  little  have  the  physical  features  of  your  town 
changed  since  the  day  of  its  first  settlement.  The  for- 
est has  in  part  given  way  to  the  ploughed  field  or  past- 
ure land ;  the  thickly-strewn  stones  by  patient  toil  have 
been  hea])ed  into  walls  which  mark  the  boundaries  of 
estates ;  human  dwellings  have  multiplied  in  number 
and  become  more  and  more  elaborate  and  costly ;  the 
railway  and  the  electric  car  force  themselves  upon 
notice ;  but  all  else  how  unchanged !  As  of  old  the 
cool,  salt  breath  of  the  ocean  is  wafted  inland  to  meet 
the  hot,  resinous  fragrance  of  the  pine  forests  which 
still  clothe  the  rocky  ridges  to  which  the  shore  slopes 
upward.  The  magnolia  and  dogwood  still  throw  out 
their  blossom-laden  branches  over  the  bayberry  and 
ferns  beneath.  On  the  surface  of  peaceful  pool  or  slug- 
gish brook  the  pond-lily  opens  its  exquisite  chalice,  and 
with  the  falling  dusk  of  evening  folds  again  its  petals, 
while  the  whip-poor-will  hurriedly  reiterates  his  monot- 
onous plaint  from  the  neighboring  thicket.  Otter  and 
beaver,  it  is  true,  have  sought  refuge  in  Canadian 
brooks,  and  bear  and  wolf  are  no  longer  a  menace  to  the 
farmer's  flocks.  But  the  little  sandpiper  tiptoes  just  in 
advance  of  the  rippling  wave,  and  perhaps  wonders  as 
he  did  two  hundred   and  fifty  years   ago  at  the  weird 


ADDKESS.  413 

music  of  the  Singing  Beach.  In  autumn  the  wild-fowl 
pierce  with  theii-  wedge-shaped  flight  the  regions  of  the 
upper  air,  or  circle  downward  to  some  wood-fringed 
lake  to  rest  on  their  southward  journey.  When  the 
storms  of  winter  rage  and  the  sea  mingles  its  driven 
spray  with  the  rack  of  the  lowering  clouds,  the  sea  gulls 
wheel  and  eddy  with  the  gusts  of  the  tempest,  and  their 
lamenting  cries,  accordant  with  the  moaning  of  the  gale, 
seem  fit  requiem  to  the  drowned  on  Xorman'sWoe.  In 
her  long  struggle  with  man.  Nature  gives  way  but  slowly, 
and  contests  every  foot  of  vantage-ground  she  is  forced 
to  yield. 

But  with  man  how  mighty  the  changes  which  two 
and  one-half  centuries  have  witnessed !  I  shall  not 
attempt  to  repeat  in  detail  the  history  of  your  town, 
for  that  duty  has  been  assigned  to  other  and  abler 
hands.  Save  for  some  conspicuous  incident  or  char- 
acteristic which  lends  local  color  to  the  narrative,  there 
is,  as  might  be  expected,  a  marked  similarity  in  the 
history  of  most  of  our  New  England  towns,  which  is 
saved  from  dullness  by  its  intense  human  interest. 
Those  who  first  settled  these  towns  were  men  of  the  same 
race,  religion  and  purpose  ;  the  obstacles  and  dangers 
they  were  called  upon  to  overcome  were  the  same ; 
they  were  similarly  affected  by  the  great  events  of 
national  importance  of  which  they  were  a  part,  and, 
except  in  the  ratio  of  increasing  population,  influenced 
by  location  and  other  causes,  their  growth  and  develop- 
ment ran  upon  parallel  lines. 

The  peculiar  feature  in  the  history  of  Manchester 
which  differentiates  it  from  that  of  many  of  her  sister 
towns  lies  in  her  proximity  to  the  ocean.  The  whisper 
of  the  sea  caught  the  willing  ear  of  her  youth  and 
wooed  them  to  its  breast.  In  these  towns  of  old  Essex 
the  sea-captain  has  been  a  familiar  and  venerated  figure 


414  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

from  the  earliest  days.  In  time  of  war  the  deck  of  the 
privateer  knew  the  sturdy  tread  of  the  men  of  Essex 
as  did  the  fishing-smack  and  merchantman  in  time  of 
peace.  Hardy  and  vigorous,  they  knew  the  dangers 
of  the  deep  and  feared  them  not.  Fearless  they  faced 
disaster  and  death,  nor  were  they  appalled  even  by 
that  mysterious  tragedy  of  the  sea,  the  total  disappear- 
ance from  the  ken  of  man  of  some  vessel  which  had  left 
poi't,  well  manned  and  tight,  with  the  sunshine  bright 
upon  its  straining  canvas,  the  waves  laughing  in  its 
wake,  and  the  following  breeze  freighted  with  the 
prayers  of  women  and  the  God-speed  of  men.  No 
record,  however  brief,  of  these  coastwise  towns  of  New 
England  can  fail  to  lay  weighty  emphasis  upon  the 
controlling  influence  which  the  neighboring  sea  exerted 
upon  the  lives  and  characters  of  their  inhabitants. 
They  smacked  of  the  salt  as  does  the  breeze  that  blows 
over  seaweed-covered  rocks  at  low  tide. 

The  early  settler  in  Manchester,  like  his  fellow-pio- 
neer elsewhere  in  the  Colony,  made  timely  provision 
for  a  saw  mill,  in  order  that  he  might  be  saved  some  of 
the  labor  necessary  to  produce  the  roughly  fashioned 
timbers  of  his  house  and  fishing-boat.  He  held  out 
special  inducements  to  tempt  some  townsman  to  set  up 
a  grist  mill  for  the  grinding  of  his  corn.  He  toiled 
unremittingly  with  imperfect  tools  in  felling  the  forest 
and  preparing  the  ground  for  his  rough  husbandry. 
He  took  much  pains  that  his  chilrlren  should  receive 
such  education  as  was  then  obtainable,  and  built  a 
primitive  meeting-house  to  which  he  not  only  went 
himself  but  compelled  the  attendance  of  others. 

And  yet  it  may  well  be  doubted  whether  the  lot  of 
teacher  or  minister  was  an  altogether  pleasant  one.  The 
nominal  salary  was  small,  and  was  not  always  promptly 
paid  ;  the  fire-wood  which  was  included  in  the  pay  was 


ADDRESS.  415 

either  not  forthcoming  or  seemed  to  have  concentrated 
in  itself  the  sap  of  the  forest.  In  1681,  a  schoolmaster 
in  an  older  and  richer  town  than  Manchester  complains 
as  follows :  "  Of  inconveniences,  I  shall  instance  no 
other,  than  that  of  the  school  house,  the  confused  and 
shattered  and  nastie  posture  that  it  is  in,  not  fitting  to 
reside  in  ;  the  glass  broken  and  thereupon  very  raw  and 
cold,  the  floor  very  much  broken  and  torn  up  to  kindle 
fires,  the  hearth  spoiled,  the  seats,  some  burnt  and 
others  out  of  kilter,  so  that  one  had  as  well  nigh  as 
goods  keej)  school  in  a  hog  stie  as  in  it."  It  is  feared 
that  a  similar  lament  might  have  gone  up  from  many 
a  town  had  the  poor  pedagogues  possessed  an  equal 
power  of  vigorous  expression. 

Our  Manchester  settler  heard  but  little  news  from  the 
outer  world  and  read  few  books.  He  knew  well  his 
Bible,  which  he  read  with  a  stern  but  exalted  faith ;  he 
may  have  had  access  to  the  grim  theology  of  Michael 
Wigglesworth's  "  Day  of  Doom,"  or  the  glowing  visions 
of  Johnson's  "  Wonder-working  Providence,"  and  from 
these  he  may  have  turned  to  the  more  pleasing  allegory 
of  Bunyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Progress."  Let  us  hope  that 
the  golden  light  from  the  Delectable  Mountains  illumi- 
nated his  life  of  incessant  hardship  and  privation. 

He  stamped  his  character  upon  his  descendants,  and 
the  generations  that  succeeded  him  were  like  him. 
His  sons  marched  wath  Captain  Lothrop  and  the 
"  Flower  of  Essex "  to  meet  an  ambushed  death  at 
Bloody  Brook.  When  the  early  winter  twilight  seemed 
to  liberate  all  evil  spirits  that  ride  the  night  wind,  they 
told  in  awed  whispers,  as  they  clustered  about  the 
glowing  hearth,  the  ghostly  tale  of  the  strange  happen- 
ings at  Salem,  and  shudderingly  prayed  that  the  afllic- 
tion  might  pass  their  children  by. 

The    overthrow  and   imprisonment   of  Andros   early 


416  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

taught  a  lesson  of  resistance  to  irres2:)onsible  tyranny 
which  was  held  in  retentive  memory  for  future  use. 
The  men  of  Manchester  sat  down  with  Pepperell  before 
Louishurg,  and  the  capture  by  raw  Colonial  levies  of 
this  famous  fortress,  the  Gibraltar  of  America,  defended 
by  the  veteran  troops  of  France,  j^lanted  a  seed  of  self- 
reliant  confidence  in  the  breasts  of  the  Colonists,  which 
was  to  bear  ruddy  fruit  at  Concord  Bridge  and  in  the 
redoubt  on  Bunker  Hill. 

Events  now  crowded  thick  and  fast  that  were  to  pre- 
cipitate the  war  of  the  Revolution.  With  what  im- 
patience must  the  tardy  news  from  Boston  have  been 
awaited,  when  every  rider  might  bring  the  message  that 
the  smouldering  fire  had  l)urst  into  flame ! 

In  the  long  and  dubious  struggle  that  was  now  ushered 
in,  amphibious  old  Essex  played  well  her  part.  On  land 
her  blood  tinged  many  a  battle-field,  but  it  was  on  the 
sea  that  her  fame  was  won.  The  splendid  seamanship, 
the  cool  courage,  the  intelligence  fertile  in  expedient  to 
meet  any  peril — ^  these  were  the  qualities  shown  by  her 
sons  wherever  American  privateer  and  English  war- 
vessel  grappled  upon  the  deep.  They  were  no  accidental 
inheritance.  They  were  bred  in  the  bone  of  these  men 
of  Essex;  they  were  transmitted  from  sires,  who  had 
spent  their  lives  in  sailing  their  fishing  boats  through 
tempest  and  darkness  over  the  storm-driven  Banks  of 
Newfoundland  and  along  the  rock -bound  and  unbuoyed 
shores  of  New  England,  to  sons  whose  earliest  instinct 
had  bidden  them  embark  upon  floating  plank  and  seek 
the  main. 

With  the  other  colonies  they  shared  the  sufferings 
and  discouragements  as  well  as  the  triumphs  of  the  long 
years  that  closed  with  Yorktown.  With  some  misgiv- 
ings they  adopted  the  Constitution,  and  slowly  thereafter 
came  to  see   that  from   the  mighty  birth-throe  of  the 


ADDRESS.  417 

Ke volution  a  nation  had  been  born.  They  were  hard 
hit  by  the  Embargo  Act  of  1808,  and  endured  the  con- 
sequent distress  with  commendable  but  not  entire 
patience. 

In  the  War  of  1812  the  young  nation  won  little  glory 
on  land  save  in  the  belated  battle  of  New  Orleans,  but  on 
ocean  and  lake  the  mighty  sea-power  of  England  found 
its  match,  and  again  and  again  her  flag  was  struck  to 
vessels  of  smaller  tonnage  and  less  armament  than  her 
own.  Of  this  renown  no  small  part  is  the  heritage  of 
Essex  County. 

Then  followed  the  period  of  marvellously  swift 
national  expansion.  The  Louisiana  Purchase  had  ceded 
the  vast  territory  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  had 
given  an  outlet  on  the  Pacific.  Florida  was  bought  of 
Spain;  Texas  and  California  were  forcibly  taken  from 
Mexico  after  a  war  which  added  something  to  our  miU- 
tary  fame,  but  brought  no  new  glory  to  our  political 
history.  To  people  these  new  and  limitless  tracts  the 
men  of  New  England  went  out  by  thousands,  and  join- 
ing the  hosts  from  the  Middle  States  and  the  tide  that 
now  set  towards  our  shores  from  Europe,  felled  forests, 
ploughed  prairies,  built  cities  and  created  those  mighty 
commonwealths  over  whose  area  the  centre  of  national 
population  from  decade  to  decade  slowly  shifts  west- 
ward. In  1849  the  discovery  of  gold  in  California 
renewed  those  eager  dreams  of  El  Dorado  which  had 
been  fading  since  the  early  Spanish  occupancy  of  Central 
and  South  America,  and  caused  a  new  exodus  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific.  All  these  great  movements  the 
generations  of  your  townsfolk  beheld,  and  in  them  they 
had  their  share. 

Dui'ing  the  whole  of  this  period  the  horizon,  other- 
wise fair,  was  ominously  clouded  by  slavery.  From 
this  fateful  institution  the  politics  of  the  nation  seemed 


418  HISTORY   OF    MANCHESTER. 

to  take  direction  and  form ;  it  involved  us  in  war  "with  a 
foreign  power ;  new  states  were  admitted  only  as  it  willed ; 
if  ever  the  Scriptural  image  of  the  enemy  sowing  tares 
amid  the  good  grain  was  realized,  it  was  in  the  accursed 
crop  of  hatred  and  distrust  which  slavery  sowed  between 
North  and  South. 

Manchester  was  not  slow  to  read  the  signs  of  the  times 
and  to  throw  its  influence  on  the  side  of  freedom.  In 
1853  its  citizens  in  town  meeting  recorded  their  indignant 
protest  against  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise, 
and  in  1856  the  Free  Soil  Party  found  here  earnest  sup- 
port for  its  candidate  for  the  presidency,  John  C.  Fremont. 

Soon  burst  the  terriiic  hurricane  of  civil  war,  and  the 
stately  edifice  which  had  been  reared  on  the  foundations 
laid  by  our  fathers  was  rocked  to  its  base,  but,  thank 
God  !  the  structure  held.  Blood  and  treasure  were  poured 
out  with  lavish  hand,  and  the  sacrifice  was  accepted. 
Lincoln  died,  scores  of  thousands  of  the  best  and  noblest 
youth  of  the  land  gave  gladly  their  lives,  and  from  that 
awful  stress  the  nation  rose  mightier,  purer,  more  worthy 
of  man's  devotion  and  God's  favor.  In  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion  Manchester  sent  to  the  front  nearly  one  in  ten 
of  its  entu'e  population. 

These  great  political  events  which  have  illustrated  the 
last  two  centuries  and  a  half,  and  which  I  have  briefly 
sketched,  stand  out  with  startUng  distinctness  on  history's 
page  and  are  known  of  all  men.  We  are  not  so  apt  to 
realize  how  recent  is  the  origin  of  the  vast  changes 
wrought  by  apphed  science  in  many  of  the  most  familiar 
aspects  of  our  social  life.  For  over  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  from  the  first  settlement  of  New  England  the  daily 
life  of  its  people  underwent  but  trifling  change.  Popula- 
tion had  increased,  the  fear  of  the  lurking  savage  had 
passed  away,  there  was  doubtless  a  gradual  amelioration 
in  the  stern  conditions  of  hardship  and  suffering  which 


ADDRESS.  419 

environed  the  earlier  generations,  but  at  the  beginning  of 
the  present  century  the  life  of  the  New  England  farmer 
or  fisherman  varied  but  little  from  that  of  his  ancestor. 
Luxury  was  scarcely  known,  and  few  even  were  the  com- 
forts in  his  home.  His  journeys  were  for  business  and 
not  for  pleasure,  and  were  made  in  the  saddle  over  well- 
nigh  impassable  roads.  Not  before  1804  was  there  a 
daily  stage  from  your  town  to  Boston,  and  regular  trains 
were  not  running  until  1847.  Steamers  began  to  cross 
the  Atlantic  in  1819,  but  bore  but  a  remote  resemblance 
in  speed  or  accommodation  to  the  great  liners  of  to-day. 

As  a  boy  in  his  native  to^\m  my  father  used  to  bear  to 
the  meeting-house  on  Sabbath  mornings  the  foot-stove, 
filled  with  live  embers,  which  pelded  some  little  warmth 
to  the  mother  at  the  further  end  of  the  family  pew,  while 
father  and  children  shivered  on  hard  board  seats,  and 
gave  what  attention  they  could  to  lengthy  sermons  which 
were  not  wanting  in  lurid  glow.  The  first  church  stove 
in  Manchester  was  set  up  in  1821,  and  had  been  long 
opposed  as  smacking  too  much  of  effeminate  luxury. 

The  electric  telegraph  has  been  in  operation  but  fifty 
years,  and  the  telephone  but  half  that  time.  The  appli- 
cation of  electricity  as  a  motive  j^ower,  which  seems 
destined  to  revolutionize  transportation,  is  confined  to  a 
decade,  and  for  the  illumination  of  our  streets  and  houses, 
oil,  tallow  and  gas  are  but  now  yielding  to  the  incandes- 
cent Hght.  Machinery,  driven  by  water  or  steam,  has 
within  the  memory  of  those  now  living  multiplied  in 
infinite  ratio  the  efficiency  and  product  of  man's  labor. 
In  the  history  of  New  England  towns  the  recurring  visi- 
tations of  small-pox  find  frequent  mention  :  immunity 
from  this  dread  disease  was  not  obtained  until  the  present 
century  was  well  advanced.  Modern  bacteriology  holds 
out  the  hope  that  other  terrors  which  have  ravaged  the 
world  unchecked  for  centuries  mav  be  abated. 


420  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

Such  are  a  few  of  the  instances  which  show  how  re- 
cent and  how  marvellously  swift  has  been  the  march  of 
material  progress.  I  see  no  reason  to  believe  that  in  the 
future  its  pace  will  be  retarded.  Rather  must  we  look 
for  a  constant  acceleration,  as  man's  dominion  over  the 
forces  of  nature  becomes  more  complete  wi,th  each  new 
discovery  and  achievement.  And  what  is  to  be  the 
result?  Is  man  to  be  "chained  to  the  wheel  of  the 
world,  blind  with  the  dust  of  its  speed,"  or  is  his  gaze 
to  be  more  and  more  lifted  to  the  sun-lit  heights  where 
dwell  enlightenment,  virtue  and  knowledge  ?  Happy  is 
it  for  man  that  it  is  not  given  to  him  to  draw  aside  the 
veil  of  the  future.  We  may  study  the  past,  we  may 
observe  the  present,  and  from  that  study  and  observa- 
tion we  may  draw  some  general  inference  as  to  what  the 
years  that  are  to  come  may  have  in  store. 

I  am  not  of  those  who  find  cause  for  discouragement  or 
dismay.  Upon  each  generation  of  men  God  wisely  im- 
poses a  condition  of  struggle  and  effort,  but  he  must 
have  a  strange  conception  of  the  Divine  purpose  who 
believes  that  mankind  is  hastening  to  destruction. 
Never  before  were  all  elevating  and  refining  influences 
so  strong  and  so  accessible  to  the  masses  of  the  people 
as  here  in  America  to-day.  Religion  is  becoming 
broader  and  more  Christ-like,  and  its  hold  upon  the  con- 
sciences of  men  is  not  relaxed,  nor  are  its  fervor  and 
sacred  enthusiasm  dead.  Education  is  more  widely 
diffused  than  ever  before  in  the  history  of  the  world, 
and  nowhere  is  there  so  vast  a  population  of  eager  and 
intelligent  readers  as  here.  Gentle  charity  has  grown 
more  wise  in  its  methods  and  far  more  efticacious  in  its 
results.  Social  immorality  is  still  a  menace  in  our 
great  cities,  but  is  powerless  to  contaminate  the  life  of 
the  great  body  of  self-respecting,  God-fearing  men  and 
women  who  constitute  the  mass  of  our  American  popu- 


ADDKESS.  421 

lation.  As  never  before  intemperance  is  stamped  as 
vice  and  degradation,  and  is  no  longer  regarded  as  a 
humorous  incident  of  sociability. 

The  easy  optimism  which  believed  that  in  instituting 
here  free  self-government  based  upon  universal  suffrage, 
our  fathers  had  established  a  machine  of  perpetual  mo- 
tion which  would  grind  out  its  beneficent  results  with- 
out vigilance  or  effort  on  the  part  of  later  generations, 
has  given  place  to  a  higher  conception  of  citizenship. 
I  know  of  no  more  encouraging  sign  in  American  poli- 
tics than  the  activity  in  nearly  all  of  our  great  cities  of 
organizations  of  men  of  high  and  honest  aims,  who  are 
pledged  to  rescue  our  municipal  governments  from  the 
misrule  which  has  grown  to  be  our  chief  national  dis- 
grace. In  New  York  and  elsewhere  these  Good  Gov- 
ernment Clubs  have  shown  that  honesty  and  intelli- 
gence can  always  win  if  they  will.  Blind  Milton  saw 
clearly  when  he  wrote  :  "  I  cannot  praise  a  fugitive  and 
cloistered  virtue,  unexercised  and  unbreathed,  that 
never  sallies  out  and  sees  her  adversary,  but  slinks  out 
of  the  race,  where  that  immortal  garland  is  to  be  run  for 
not  without  dust  and  heat."  Least  of  all  in  a  republic 
has  such  virtue  place.  In  his  recent  final  retirement 
from  political  life  the  venerable  and  illustrious  English 
statesman  thus  wrote  to  his  Midlothian  constituents,  who 
for  so  many  years  have  loyally  supported  him  at  the 
polls  :  "  It  is  beyond  question  that  the  century  now  ex- 
piring has  exhibited  since  the  close  of  its  first  quarter  a 
period  of  unexampled  activity,  the  changes  of  which 
taken  in  the  mass  have  been  in  the  direction  of  true  and 
beneficial  progress."  I  think  that  the  verdict  of  history 
will  hold  this  a  just  and  moderate  estimate.  But  that 
this  progress  may  be  continuous  and  not  diverted  from 
its  present  upward  patli,  we  of  this  generation  must  be 
true  to  the  past  and  read  aright  its   lessons  of  struggle 


422  HISTORY    OF    MAJSrCHESTEE. 

and  achievement ;  we  must  be  faithful  to  the  present 
with  its  mighty  responsibilities  and  opportunities  ;  so 
shall  we  march  full-fronted  to  the  beckoning  future,  and 
not  as  cowards  and  poltroons  with  trailing  banners  and 
lowered  crest. 

The  social  and  economic  problems,  which  now  con- 
found us  with  their  complexity  and  difficulty,  must  find 
their  just  solution  at  our  hands.  The  savage  strife 
which  through  their  mutual  fault  too  often  breaks  out 
between  the  employer  and  the  employed  must  cease. 
The  rights  of  both  must  be  more  clearly  defined  by 
law,  and  enforced  by  the  collective  sense  of  the  commu- 
nity. It  is  much  that  the  appalling  wastefulness  of 
strikes  is  already  recognized,  and  that  through  arbitra- 
tion or  by  other  means  just  causes  of  complaint  and 
motives  of  action  are  more  likely  than  heretofore  to  re- 
ceive fair  hearing.  How  best  to  reduce  to  their  mini- 
mum the  colossal  evils  of  intemperance  and  of  other 
vices  demands  the  wisest  legislation,  carried  into  effec- 
tive operation  by  officers  of  the  law  whose  absolute  in- 
tegrity must  be  assured  by  whatever  safeguards  of  or- 
ganization and  discipline  experience  and  vigilance  can 
devise.  Constant  warfare  must  be  waged  against  those 
influences  of  squalor,  ignorance  and  vice  which  breed 
crime,  and  constant  effort  exerted  to  make  its  punish- 
ment such  as  to  give  opportunity  for  reformation. 
That  poverty  whicli  through  lack  of  energy  and  effi- 
ciency ever  tends  to  produce  pauperism  must  be  so 
touched  by  the  hand  of  charity  as  to  be  stimulated  to 
self-respect  and  industry. 

The  standard  of  decency  and  comfort  in  the  lives  and 
homes  of  our  toiling  people  must  not  be  lowered.  The 
amazing  power  of  assimilation  which  American  civiliza- 
tion has  displayed  must  not  be  overtaxed.  When 
entire  families  of  those  alien  in  speech,  in  habit  and  in 


ADDRESS.  423 

thought,  are  content  to  kennel  within  the  bare  walls  of 
reeking  tenement  or  contractor's  shanty,  and  to  live 
upon  what  our  own  people  discard,  wholly  untouched 
by  the  influences  which  produce  the  American  citizen, 
they  constitute  a  menace  to  the  community.  The  rills 
of  immigration  which,  properly  distributed,  serve  to 
irrigate  and  fructify  our  broad  territory,  must  not  be 
permitted  to  become  a  flood  that  shall  swamp  the  land 
or  sweep  it  bare  of  the  accumulated  soil  of  centuries. 
America  will  ever  be  hospitable  to  the  immigrant,  what- 
ever his  nationality,  who  brings  with  him  intelligence 
and  industry,  and  who  possesses  the  capacity  and  de- 
termination to  become  in  very  truth  an  American  citi- 
zen. But  in  my  opinion  the  time  is  come  when  such 
restrictions  must  be  placed  upon  immigration  as  shall 
not  only  exclude  the  felon,  the  insane  and  the  actual  or 
prospective  pauper,  but  shall  limit  the  admission  of 
those  who  show  a  racial  inability  to  assimilate  with  our 
people.  Our  land  is  broad,  but  the  stars  and  stripes 
alone  must  cover  every  foot  of  its  limitless  area,  and  the 
supremacy  of  that  flag  must  be  unquestioned  and  com- 
plete. Beneath  its  rule  the  anarchist,  the  oath-bound 
assassin  and  he  who  gives  expression  to  his  prejudices 
or  passions  by  the  violence  of  mobs  have  no  place. 

We  must  be  exacting  and  yet  just  in  our  judgments 
of  those  who  hold  public  office.  Corruption,  dishonesty 
and  cowardice  should  be  sternly  dealt  with ;  but  gross 
injustice  is  often  wrought  by  embittered  partisan  abuse 
and  the  reckless  imputation  of  unworthy  motives  for 
acts  of  which  the  error  at  most  may  be  one  of  judgment 
only. 

A  living  and  active  faith  in  the  great  truths  of  reli- 
gion is  a  force  for  righteousness  in  a  nation,  and  this 
faith  is  not  likely  to  wane  in  vitality  so  long  as  it  con- 
forms itself  more  and  more  closely  to  the  teachings  and 


424  HISTORY    OF    MANCHESTER. 

life  of  Christ.  Public  education  must  be  ever  broadened 
in  its  aims  and  improved  in  its  methods  and  results.  For- 
ever free  from  sectarianism,  our  schools  must  make 
luminous  to  the  eye  of  the  young  the  page  of  American 
history,  so  that  even  the  child  of  the  most  recent  im- 
migrant may  early  learn  that  he  has  become  a  citizen 
of  no  mean  country.  If  on  leaving  the  school  the  child 
carries  with  him  the  hunger  for  further  knowledoje  — 
and  this  is  the  true  test  of  the  success  of  any  system  of 
education  —  he  should  find  in  our  colleges  the  way 
made  easy  for  character  and  ability,  and  in  our  public 
libraries  he  should  find  rich  storehouse  of  the  best 
thought  of  all  lands  and  all  times.  Art  and  music 
should  bring  their  refining  and  elevating  influences 
within  the  reach  of  all ;  free  lectures  should  hold  out 
their  lure  to  enter  the  magic  realms  of  literature  and 
science,  and  the  weary  worker  should  find  rest  and 
peace  with  wdfe  and  child  in  those  great  tracts  where 
nature  is  at  her  fairest  which  have  already  been  re- 
served for  his  use. 

These  are  among  the  agencies  which  are  hastening  the 
day  Avhen  shall  be  realized  the  fundamental  idea  of 
American  citizenship,  that  all  men  shall  enter  upon  the 
competition  of  life  upon  equal  terms  of  social  rights, 
obligations  and  opportunities.  The  study  of  history  has 
caused  Mr.  Lecky  to  speak  as  follows  of  the  prosperity 
of  nations  and  the  causes  that  contribute  thereto :  "  Its 
foundation  is  laid  in  pure  domestic  life,  in  commercial 
integrity,  in  a  high  standard  of  moral  worth  and  of  pub- 
lic spirit,  in  simple  habits,  in  courage,  uprightness  and  a 
certain  soundness  and  moderation  of  judgment  which 
springs  quite  as  much  from  character  as  from  intellect. 
If  you  would  form  a  wise  judgment  of  the  future  of  a 
nation,  observe  carefully  whether  these  qualities  are  in- 
creasing or  deca}dng.     Observe  especially  what  qualities 


ADDRESS.  425 

count  for  the  most  in  public  life.  Is  character  becoming 
of  greater  or  less  importance?  Are  the  men  who  obtain 
the  highest  posts  in  the  nation,  men  of  whom  in  private 
life  and  irrespective  of  party  competent  judges  speak 
with  genuine  respect?  Are  they  of  sincere  convictions, 
consistent  lives,  indisputable  integrity?  ...  It  is  by 
observing  this  moral  current  that  you  can  best  cast  the 
horoscope  of  a  nation." 

If  by  the  test  so  applied  Ave  would  read  in  that  horo- 
scope the  promise  of  future  greatness  and  stability,  as  I 
think  we  may,  the  nation  must  not  cease  to  jjroduce  the 
highest  type  of  citizen  known  the  world  over.  In  this 
high  service  let  there  be  a  generous  emulation  among 
the  sister  states.  Shall  our  own  dear  state  give  back- 
ward step  from  the  forefront  where  she  has  ever  proudly 
stood  in  all  the  long  years  since  your  town  had  its  birth? 
O  stern  and  rugged  cliffs  that  guard  the  shores  of 
Massachiisetts  Bay  and  hurl  back  unshaken  the  surges  of 
the  Atlantic !  O  Avaving  forests  that  clothe  the  hills  and 
clasp  in  their  embrace  the  embosomed  lakes !  O  broad 
and  fair  domain  of  the  Old  Bay  State,  stretching  from 
beautiful  Berkshire,  jJast  peaceful  village  and  jirosperous 
city,  to  the  glistening  sands  of  Barnstable,  and  on  to 
historic  Nantucket  nursed  on  ocean's  breast  —  thy  breed 
of  men  has  never  failed  thee  yet.  May  they  continue 
to  spring  from  thy  loins  as  we  have  known  them  in  the 
past,  sturdy,  virtuous  and  heroic;  so  for  all  time  may 
the  prayer  go  up,  not  in  cringing  terror  nor  pusillani- 
mous supplication,  but  in  the  full,  strong  voice  of 
manly  self-reliance,  "God  save  the  Commonwealth  of 
Massachusetts ! " 


INDEX. 


INDEX. 


Adams,  John,  quotation  from,  71,  81. 

"Agassiz'  Rock,"  11. 

Agawams,  Gosnold's  description  of,  6. 

"Age  of  Homespun,"  47. 

Aix-la-Chapelle,  treaty  of,  64. 

Alarm  in  1746,  63. 

Allen  family,  name  and  home  of,  343;  some  oldtime  members 

of,  323. 
Allen,  John  Perry,  146,  147,  334. 
Allen,  "Sailmaker,"  326. 

Allen,  William,  first  of  the  name,  323;  will  of,  323,  324. 
Andrews,  Captain  W.  A.,  341. 
Andros,  Sir  Edmund,  58. 
Anti-slavery    enthusiasm,     170,    172;    prayer-meetings,    171; 

period,  an  education,  174. 
"  Arbella,"  the,  arrival  of,  17. 

B. 

Babcock,  "Goodman,"  .325. 

Baptist  church,  the,  246-250. 

Baptists,  early,  character  and  treatment  of,  262,  n. 

"  Barrington, "  privateer,  loss  of,  85. 

"  Bay  horse,"  the,  71. 

Beliefs  and  misbeliefs,  91. 

Benjamite,  a  left-handed,  324. 

Bible,  oldest  in  town,  317. 

Bingham,  Dea.  D.  L.,  1.53,  .303,  .332. 

"Biskuitt"  and  "Barbels,"  109. 

Blockade-running,  bold,  131,  1.32. 

Bloody  Brook,  Manchester  men  at,  55, 

"  Blue  Laws,"  36,  n. 


IV  •  INDEX. 

Book,  a  "  worldlie,"  319. 

Book-keejiing,  in  1750,  120. 

Books,  some  old,  317-319;  owned  in  partnership,  319.       , 

Burnham,  "  Elder"  Elam,  246,  247. 

Business,  the  present,  357. 

Brick-making,  357. 

"  Bridal  of  the  earth  and  sky,"  263. 

"  Brushie  Plain,"  61. 

c. 

Cabinet  Maker,  the,  quotation  from,  150. 

Cabinet  manufacturers,  list  of,  162,  163. 

California,  emigration  to,  150,  350. 

Call  to  arms,  77. 

Cape  Ann,  advantages  of,  18,  19. 

Carter,  Capt.  John,  334. 

Carter,  Obed,  Town  treasurer,  336. 

Catholic  church,  the,  250. 

Celebration,  July  4,  1826,  1.52. 

Cellar-holes,  at  "North  Yarmouth,"  45,  n. 

Cemeteries,  early,  271;   records  concerning,  272-274;    old  in- 

scrii^tious  in,  274-276. 
Cemetery,  Rosedale,  277,  extension  of,  278;  Union,  276. 
"Chairs,"  49. 

Charter  of  New  England,  16. 
"Chebacco"  boats,  105.  ^' 

Cheever,  Rev.  Ames,  ordained,  225;  grave  of,  275. 
Cheever,  Ezekiel,  328. 
Cheever,  Rev.  Samuel,  249. 
"Chesapeake,"  fight  with  "Shannon";  Lambert  Flowers  on, 

234. 
Chever,  Rev.  Mr.,  his  "schoole,"  207. 

Chimneys,  "  firing"  of,  310;  defective,  to  be  "  viewed,"  310. 
"  Chimnies,  catted,"  45. 
Citizen-soldiery,  129,  181. 
Cleaveland,  Rev.  John,  261. 
Clouds,  gathering,  69. 
Coaching  days,  early,  303. 
Coast  guards,  74,  75. 
"Cold  Spring,"  153. 
Colonies,  union  of,  .54. 


INDEX.  V 

Cotnmentary,  Matthew  Henry's,  318. 

Committees  of  Safety,  71,  128. 

Common  lands,  19. 

Company  of  foot,  Capt.  Hooper's,  129;  inspection  roll  of,  291. 

Conant's  colony,  15. 

*'  Conclusions  "  for  establishing  a  colony,  33. 

Conveyances,  355. 

Coronation,  191. 

"Cove,"  likely  to  become  the  "  West  End,"  34,  n. ;  business  of 

in  1700,  61. 
Craft,  Benjamin,  327. 
Craft,  Eleazer,  328. 
Craft,  Mrs.  (Samples),  285,  325. 
Currency,  disturbance  of,  62,  79,  266,  n. 
Cutler,  Dr.  Manasseh,  61. 

D. 

Dana,  Eichard  H.,  earliest  "summer  resident,"  192,  194. 

Dana,  R.  H.,  Jr.,  delegate  to  Constitutional  Convention,  169. 

"Dark  Day,"  the,  91. 

Darkness,  days  of,  71. 

Dartmoor  prison,  135. 

Deacons,  names  of,  238. 

Dedication  of  G.  A.  R.  Burial  lot,  278. 

Deed  of  Masconomo's  grandsons,  345. 

"Deemster,"  a  natural,  324. 

"Devouring  wolves,"  57. 

Diet,  the  Puritan,  50,  51. 

"Dippers"  cause  dismay,  262. 

Dodge,  Moses,  first  cabinet-maker,  144. 

Dodge,  "Mother,"  326. 

Dodge,  "Skipper,"  324. 

Dread  ah^rms,  54. 

Dudley,  Gov.,  letter  of,  57.     i 

E. 

Early  houses,  281-283. 

Early  settlers,  hardships  of,  53;  "made  their  mark,"  47,  n. 

Earthquakes,  351. 

Ecclesiastical  preserves,  267. 


VI  INDEX. 

Education,  early  care  for,  205. 

"  Elder  Brethren,"  199-201. 

Embargo  of  1807,  125. 

Emerson,  Rev.  Samuel  M.,  233. 

Emigration,  early,  54,  n. ;  to  British  provinces,  72. 

Epidemic  in  1794,  90,  352. 

Epidemics,  351,  352. 

Episcopal  church,  the,  250. 

Erecting  a  "  Villiage,"  23,  26. 

Everett,  Edward,  his  oration  at  Charlestown,  64. 


"Fallen  to  the  leeward,"  357. 

Families,  early,  size  of,  51. 

Fire  brigade,  early,  effectiveness  of,  311. 

Fire  department,  the,  309-315;  apparatus  and  force  of,  314. 

Fire-engine  companies,  311,  312;  records  of,  312,  313. 

Fire-engine,  steam,  "  Seaside,"  313. 

Fire-engines,  built  in  Manchester,  145,  311. 

Fire,  "the  Great,"  148,  149,  312. 

Fires,  dread  of,  243,  309;  precautions  against,  309,  310. 

First  comers,  the,  31  sq. 

Fish,  abundance  of,  46. 

Fish-flakes,  first,  100,  n. 

Fish-house,  evolution  of,  194. 

Fisheries,  the,  99;  school  of  prowess,  102,  116;  decline  of,  114, 

115. 
Fisherman's   outfit  and   fare,  109;    correspondence,    109,  110, 

119. 
Fishermen  in  Revolution,  103. 
Fishing-stage,  set  up,  45. 

Fishing  vessels,  names  of,  113,  114;  small  size  of,  104,  105. 
Fishing  voyage,  descriijtion  of,  108,  114. 
Flotsam  and  Jetsam,  343. 
"  Flower  of  Essex,"  the,  55. 
Flowers,  Lambert,  134. 
Forging  ahead,  140. 
Forster,  Israel,  336. 
"Four Hundred  acres,"  the,  19,  21;  bounds  of,  21,  22,  ?i. ;  map 

of,  21. 


INDEX.  Vll 

"Franklin  Building,"  the,  285. 

Freeman,  Rev.  George  E.,  237. 

"  Freemen,"  19. 

Free  Soil  sentiment,  169;  Convention,  170. 

"  Frenchmen,"  258,  347. 

Frugal  comfort,  159. 

Fugitive  slave,  harbored,  173. 

Fugitive  Slave  Law^,  171. 

G. 

Gala  days,  152. 

"Garden,  Old,"  the,  80. 

Genealogical  trees,  some,  144. 

Genealogies,  note  on,  xii. 

Girdler,  John,  his  exploit  on  the  high  seas,  86. 

Gleason,  Rev.  George  L.,  237. 

"Gloucester,"  privateer,  loss  of,  84. 

"  Golden  Ball,"  the,  60. 

Gold  hunters,  the,  350. 

Goldsmith,  Gifford,  his  cosmogony,  61. 

Government,  "paternal,"  322. 

"Grand  Bankers,"  105. 

Grants  of  land,  first,  20. 

Gray,  William,  Jr.,  his  benevolence,  90. 

Griffin,  Rev,  Leonard,  234. 

"  Great  Awakening,"  the,  93. 

Grist-mills,  356. 

Growth,  slow,  22,  33. 

H. 

Half-way  covenant,  the,  230. 

"Hawke,"  privateer,  shipping  papers  of,  348. 

Heirlooms,  143. 

"  Heroes  of  '76,"  94. 

Higginson,  Rev.  Francis,  his  description  of  harbor,  17. 

Hiram  Golf\'i  Beligion,  quotation  from,  142. 

Home  industries,  138,  139. 

Hooper's,  Capt.  Joseph,  company,  291,  292. 

"  Horn-books,"  60. 

"Houseben,  a  loueing,"  110. 

Houses,  ancient,  described,  49. 


Vlll  INDEX. 


Ice-cutting,  A.  F.  Bennett's,  357. 

Impressment  of  seamen,  125. 

Incident,  an  amusing,  151. 

Indian    population,  smallness  of,    5;   lands,  payment  for,  8; 

wars,  54-56,  men  in,  289. 
Indians,  their  shell-heaps  and  graves,  5,  345;  made  no  history, 

6;  epidemic  among,  6,  7. 
Industry,  a  hive  of,  160. 
Invasion,  fear  of,  132. 
Inventories,  46,  82. 
Ipswich,  "large-limbed,"  7;  Whitefield  at,  94;  Convention  at, 

128. 


Jeffrey,  William,  20,  n. 
Jeffrey's  Creek,  20,  23. 
.lelius,  not  encouraged,  321. 
"  Jiggers,"  105. 
Johnson,  Lady  Arbella,  17. 


K. 


Kettle  cove,  landing  at,  21;  name  of,  21,  n. 
Kettle,  John,  21,  n. 

King  Charles,  charter  of,  16;  proclamation  of,  33. 
Kittield,  William,  his  courage  and  shrewdness,  86. 


"  Labor  days,"  152. 

Labrador,  off  for,  107. 

"  Land  hunger,"  19,  n. 

Leach,  Capt.  Daniel,  85. 

Leach,  Cajit.  Thomas,  333. 

Leach,  Dr.  E.  W.,  337. 

Leach,  Henry  C,  340. 

Lechford,  his  testimony,  35,  37,  n. 

Lectures,  by  W.  H.  Tappan,  157. 

Lee,  Andrew,  325. 

Lee,  "Aunt"  Martha,  326. 


INDEX.  ix 

Lee,  Edward,  92,  261,  325. 

Lee,  John,  81,  n.,  324,  ?i.,  341,  345. 

Lee,  Samuel,  his  grievances,  329,  330. 

Legislation,  early,  often  minute,  based  on  Old  Testament,  30. 

Legislature,  petition  to,  127. 

Lexington  company,  names  of,  77,  78. 

Library  building,  196-198. 

Library,  the,  and  the  schools,  214. 

Log-book,  Capt.  Benj.  Hilton's,  117. 

Longevity,  earlier  and  later,  352. 

Losses  of  life,  at  sea,  110,  111;  by  savages  and  pirates,  112, 

113. 
Louisburg,  siege  of,  62;  Manchester  men  at,  62,  63. 
Lyceum,  the,  154,  155 ;  still  a  field  for,  156. 
"Lyons,"  at  Cape  Ann,  57,  91. 


M. 

Mail  service,  early,  303. 
Manchester,  Eai-1  of,  31. 
Manchester,  description  of,  10-12;  in  the  Civil  War,  178;  its 

shore   line,  11;  "makers"  of,  342;  man,  portrait  of,  34; 

name  of,  23,  31;  shipmasters  of,  103,  348-50;  shipwrights 

of,  135,  136;  sons  of  in  naval  service,  84,  103,  134,  135. 
Manchester-by-the-Sea,  192,  n. 
"Manchester,"  schooner,  107. 
Man  and  Nature,  193. 
Martineau,  Harriet,  at  Manchester,  191. 
Masconomo,  chief  of  Agawams,  7;  different  names  of,  7;  early 

loss  of  power  of,  9;  grandsons  of,  8,  345. 
Meeting,  diversions  in,  260,  n. 
Meeting-house,  the,  nucleus  of  village  life,  34;  "seating  of," 

240,  257. 
Meeting-houses,  239-243 ;  means  of  warming,  243. 
Memorable  days,  178. 
Memorial  days,  185. 
Memorial  tablets,  198,  199. 
Memory,  a,  worth  embalming,  162. 
Men-of-war,  British,  on  coast,  130. 
Merchant  vessels,  masters  of,  103,  348-350. 
Methodists,  forbidden  to  meet  in  Town  House,  230. 
Military  service,  the,  289-301. 


X  INDEX. 

Mill  on  "  Brushie  plain,"  61. 

Ministers,  early,  222;  later,   237,  238;  of  Baptist  church,  248; 

licensed,  249. 
Molly  Morgan,  "charmer  of  warts,"  261. 
Molly  Sennit,  92. 
Moore,  "  Master,"  283. 
Morals,  early,  high  state  of,  35. 
"  Mr.  Eminent  Respectability,"  his  views,  174. 

N. 

Naumkeag,  15. 

Navigation  taught,  210,  283. 

Nebraska  bill,  opposed,  169. 

"  Neutral  Ground,"  the,  80. 

"  New  Education,"  the,  216. 

New  England,  founders  of,  their  character,  pedigree,  and  rank, 

32,  34,  35;  theocracy  of,  36,  37. 
"New  Lights,"  94,  261. 
North  shore,  the,  beauty  of,  191. 
Northey,  Edward,  324. 
Norton's  Point,  breastwork  at,  129 
Norwood,  Dr.  David,  352. 
Notabilities,  some,  323-342. 

o. 

Old  and  New  Style,  note  on,  xii. 
"  Old  Wenham  Road,"  201. 

P. 

Paper,  by  John  Lee,  extracts  from,  80,  81. 

Parish,  Rev.  Ariel,  his  early  death,  229. 

Parishioners,  breachy,  262. 

Parson,  a  patriotic,  261,  n. 

Parsonages,  244,  245,  269. 

Peace,  rejoicings  at,  88,  138. 

Persons,  lost  at  sea,  358-361. 

Pert,  Capt.  William,  xii,  87. 

Picnics,  early,  153. 

Pilgrim  Fathers,  the,  40,  41. 


INDEX.  XI 

Pilgrim  stock,  "  pethed  with  hardihood,"  50,  n. 

Places  in  town,  names  of,  27. 

Plain  living,  46,  47. 

Police  regulations,  321,  322. 

Poppy,  the,  other  posies  besides,  160. 

Postage  rates,  304,  307. 

Postal  statistics,  306-308. 

Post  office,  the,  303-308. 

Practical  Navigator,  Bowditch's,  120. 

Preston,  "Skipper,"  324. 

Price,  "Master,"  217;  his  pupils,  217;  reunion  of,  217;  his 
character,  work,  death,  218. 

Prices,  table  of,  66. 

Priest,  Dr.  G.  A.,  213. 

Privateering,  little  objection  to,  79,  n. 

Problem,  a  new  social,  194. 

Proceedings  of  2.50th  anniversary,  383. 

Pi'oducts,  industrial  in  1837,  161. 

"Proprietors,"  19,  20. 

Prosperity,  increasing,  59,  65,  89,  138,  140. 

Puritans,  humor  of,  71;  pioneers  of  civil  liberty,  38;  self-re- 
spect and  intelligence,  38. 

R. 

Rattlesnakes,  353 ;  mighty  hunter  of,  353. 

Representatives,  list  of,  379. 

Residents,  early,  list  of,  65,  66. 

Resolutions,  spirited,  126. 

Revolution,  the,  causes  of,  70;  Manchester  in,  78,  95;  men  in, 

289-291 ;  spirit  of,  94. 
Roads,  early,  48,  59. 
Romantic  incidents,  83. 
Russell,  Rev.  P.  R.,  247;  Rev.  T.  C,  249. 

S. 

Saw-mills,  356. 

Scholars,  in  higher  schools,  215. 

"  School  dams,"  60,  207. 

School  districts,  209;  houses,  208,  210,  213, 


Xll  INDEX. 

School,  high,  established,  210;  high-water  mark  of,  212;  some 
teachers  of,  211. 

Schools,  early  records  concei'ning,  206-208;  drawing  and  music 
in,  214;  superintendents  of,  214,  215;  the  earlier  not  fail- 
ures, 21(5. 

Scripture  precedent,  reverence  for,  223. 

Sea-fights,  the  great,  137. 

Secession,  177. 

Second  Adventism,  157,  158. 

Selectmen,  list  of,  373-378. 

Senators,  379. 

"Shannon,"  frigate,  Rufus  Choate's  description  of,  120,  n.; 
fight  with  the  "  Chesapeake,"  133. 

Shay's  Rebellion,  88,  89. 

"Singing  Beach,"  11. 

Slavery  in  United  States,  167;  lecture  on  in  1775,  168. 

Slaves  in  Manchester,  168,  325. 

Small-pox,  the,  351. 

Smoking  in  streets,  not  considered  "  good  form,"  321,  >i. 

Soldiers,  enlistment  of,  votes  concerning,  75-77. 

Southern  scare,  a,  151. 

Store,  first,  59,  285. 

Stores,  the,  285-287. 

"  Storm  and  stress  period,"  a,  72. 

Story,  Dr.  Asa,  213,  335. 

"  Straitness  and  scarcity,"  79,  95. 

Stratagem,  Captain  Pert's,  87;  note  on,  xii. 

Summer  resort,  the,  191;  benefits  of,  195,  196;  time  not  yet,  to 
write  history  of,  201. 

Sunday  in  olden  time,  2.55 ;  customs  and  observance  of, 
256-261. 

Sunday  school,  organized,  231;  palmy  days  of,  232;  seventy- 
fifth  anniversary  of,  232. 

Supplement,  383. 

T. 

"  Talbot,"  the,  in  Manchester  harbor,  17. 
Tappan,  Eben,  331. 
Tappan,  Ebenezer,  331. 
Tappan,  Lewis  N.,  338. 
Tappan,  Prof.  David,  268,  354. 


INDEX.  xiii 

Tappan,  Rev.  Benjamin,  226,  257,  265. 

Tappan,  Samuel  F.,  339. 

Tarratines,  the,  10. 

Taverns,  first,  59,  60. 

Taylor,  Eev.  O.  A.,  235. 

Taylor,  Rev.  Rufus,  236. 

Temperance  Society  in  1829,  1.58. 

Tenney,  Rev.  E.  P.,  237. 

Tenney,  Rev.  F.  V.,  236. 

Tent  and  altar,  the,  221. 

Thrift,  a  period  of,  159. 

Thurston,  Rev.  James,  232. 

Tide-mill,  60. 

Tories,  62;  emigration  to  British  provinces  of,  63. 

Total  abstinence,  church  action  on,  234;  required  in  Fire 
Department,  313. 

Town,  the,  manly  action  of,  58;  petition  of,  94;  life  of,  half 
maritime,  104 ;  never  humdrum,  52. 

Tcwn  clerks,  list  of,  378. 

Town  Hall,  196. 

Town  Landing,  settlement  at,  22. 

Town  meeting,  first,  23;  origin  of,  24;  its  value  as  an  edu- 
cator, 24,  25. 

Town  records,  credit  due  to  editor  of,  20,  n. ;  first  book  of, 
lost,  23;  extracts  from,  52,  72,  73-77;  see  Schools,  Churches, 
etc. 

Trask,  Capt.  Richard,  332,  335;  Mrs.  Abby  Hooper,  337. 

Travel,  a  century  ago,  354. 

Tuck,  Capt.  William,  85,  330;  Rev.  Benjamin  F.,  250. 

u. 

"Underground  railroad,"  the,  173. 
Union,  the  war  for,  177. 
Unitarians,  the,  251. 
Unity,  ecclesiastical,  dream  of,  251. 
Universalists,  the,  251. 
Uprising  of  the  North,  177. 


V. 


Values,  rise  in,  193,  n. 
Veneer  sawing,  147. 


XIV  INDEX. 

"  Victory,  a  glorious,"  130. 

"  Village  Hamptlens,"  78. 

"  Villiage,"  erecting  a,  23,  26. 

Virginians,  three  hundred,  halted  in  Manchester,  84. 


w. 

War,  civil,  the,  results  of,  186;   records  of,  178-180,  182-184; 

men  in,  293-301;  woman  in,  186,  187. 
War  of  1812,  distresses  of,  133;  eclipsed  by  later  events,  137; 

men  in,  291-293. 
Water  commissioners,  364. 
Water- vrorks,  the,  inception  of,  363;  construction  of,  365,  366; 

capacity  of,  tested,  366;   completion  of,  celebrated,  369- 

371;  finances  of,  364. 
Watts'  Psalms  and  Hymns,  259,  n. 
Whipple,  Dr.  Joseph,  73,  84. 
Williams,  Roger,  his  ministry  at  Salem,  246. 
Winter,  a  gloomy,  177. 
Winters,  severe,  50. 

Winthrop,  John,  arrival  of,  18;  character  of,  17,  n. 
Woodberry,  Larkin,  334. 
Wolves,  particularly  aggravating,  57,  n. 


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